If you ever see a "sci-fi original" film that is actually good it's most likely because they just bought the rights and had no involvement in the actual production. "Dog Soldier's" was a great example.

If you ever see a "sci-fi original" film that is actually good it's most likely because they just bought the rights and had no involvement in the actual production. "Dog Soldier's" was a great example.

Hmmm, never saw that one. Might not like it, because the fact that the Sci-Fi originals are sooooo bad, is the exact reason I enjoy them so much. Love to laugh at 'em. I've always been a Mystery Science Theater fan for the same reason.

Hmmm, never saw that one. Might not like it, because the fact that the Sci-Fi originals are sooooo bad, is the exact reason I enjoy them so much. Love to laugh at 'em. I've always been a Mystery Science Theater fan for the same reason.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 the Movie shows on Cinemax HD at 3:45am.

KPLR-DT is off the air again??? I can't get it via D* or OTA.

This makes perfect sense.

Charter Cuts VP Fogler, VP Jay In Reorg (http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6553568.html?desc=topstory)

Yesterday I noted that one of Charter's challenges, now that it's under the NASDAQ de-listing gun, would be to keep its management and executive team in place during the uncertain and rocky times ahead. So, of course, Charter dumped several senior execs in a HQ reorg yesterday.

They say it has nothing at all to do with "the number" (stock price).

Short version, starting with a 1080i ts stream from KMOV, with commercials edited out thanks to VideoReDo ($50)....

First I fire up MeGUI (freeware) and reencode the 1080i ts stream into a 1080p MPEG-4 mkv file, mainly to make it fit on a DVD-R. Size 4179mb, since BluRay authoring adds a bit to the file size afterward.

Then I load the 1080p mkv into TSmuxer (freeware) and pick the BluRay disc option.

Then I load the folder into ImgBurn (also freeware), pick UDF filesystem, version 2.50, and burn to DVD-R.

Pop into the BluRay drive of the HTPC and enjoy.

This has worked pretty well with the episodes of CSI Miami and CSI NY that I've tried so far, even though the bitrate is far lower than a real BluRay disc would be. I've yet to try them on a standalone BluRay player.

TSmuxer is in early Beta stage and can't do menus at the moment, it just makes a barebones main-feature-only disc.

That's the short version. The long version (too long and a bit outdated, I found I could do a few things differently and still get the same result) can be found here (http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2008/02/23/create-blu-ray-video-in-plain-dvds-for-free/).

Once I verify the discs play in standalone players, I might make up an updated, simpler guide.

I just finished burning discs for a HUGE DVD/CD project and, just to relax a bit, I decided to try your technique on a couple of MPEG4 captures from Dish Network. Since I didn't have any DVD-R DL's, I tried it with DVD+R DL. Sony was one of the developers of this DVD format, IIRC. Anyway, it worked like a charm. I just put a disc of "Cars" in my Playstation 3 and it played flawlessly. This process is certainly a lot easier than the HD DVD creation process. You can set chapters automatically at intervals. Next I'll try it out on a friend's regular Blu-ray player.

Hey Joe,

I'm a little surprised that DL discs worked... the guy who started the project said to avoid DL discs because they wouldn't be stable being played as BluRays (or as they're semi-officially called, "AVCHD" discs).

The first step I mentioned above, converting to 1080p MPEG-4, was mainly to make the CSI Miami episode fit on a single layer DVD-R.

I guess the next step here is to see if that 6 gig CSI Miami episode will make a BluRay DVD+R DL disc without reencoding at all.

More than the simplicity of it, I like the fact that this process can be done with all freeware.

Joe, forgot to ask...

Now that Dish has Sci-Fi HD, can you record that channel with your R5000?

Right now the only way I can archive Sci-Fi HD from *D is the old fashioned way, feed S-Video to my PC's capture card. I can get some really nice looking 480p by using inverse telecine on the captured avi file, but it's still only 480p.

I'm hoping that when *D releases that HDPC-20 (or whatever the model number is) USB receiver for Windows Media Center, the files will be DRM-free.

I'm also hoping Shania Twain will bend me over her lap and give me a spanking, but that's not likely to happen soon, either.

Some people had a lot more trouble with DL discs in our HD DVD creation thread, too, but I never experienced much difficulty once I got the technique down. I was more concerned that I had heard the +R DL were incompatible and the much rarer -R DL needed to be used. Maybe my first and only success with +R DL was a fluke. I'll find out for sure in the next few weeks. If this continues to work, I plan on doing a lot of R5000 captures on Dish's new MPEG4 channels.

I can capture basically anything that Dish broadcasts with the R5000 mod to my Dish 211. Archiving them to DVD (as HD DVD) was the problem, since many movies exceed DVD DL capacity. Many more of the MPEG4 movies will fit. I can capture SciFi now, although I'm disappointed that such shows as Stargate SG1, Enterprise, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, etc. are really only SD. I find the same on USA, as favs like Monk are SD. Can't complain too much, though - HD is on a roll.

I'm also hoping Shania Twain will bend me over her lap and give me a spanking, but that's not likely to happen soon, either.
Bob,
Where do we sign-up for this event?
:D

You looking for tickets to see it, or wanting a Shania-spanking for yourself? :D

You looking for tickets to see it, or wanting a Shania-spanking for yourself? :D
Wait....I can get both?
Now, that's a blu-ray project waiting to happen :eek:

You know, just the other day I was talking to Shania Twain and she told me how much she enjoyed... wait, that was just a woman who looked like Shania Twain. Anyway, she gets to talkin' about how much she likes... wait, she really didn't look like Shania Twain. I was just thinking how much I wished she looked like Shania Twain - and how cool it would be if Shania Twain was in one of my lucid dreams... wait, I really was thinking how much I wished I could have lucid dreams and if I could how cool it would be if Shania Twain was in one of 'em.

Anyway, it was the strangest thing. For no reason I could figure out, this woman gets mad and slaps me right in the face.

Women!!! :rolleyes:

You know, just the other day I was talking to Shania Twain and she told me how much she enjoyed... wait, that was just a woman who looked like Shania Twain. Anyway, she gets to talkin' about how much she likes... wait, she really didn't look like Shania Twain. I was just thinking how much I wished she looked like Shania Twain - and how cool it would be if Shania Twain was in one of my lucid dreams... wait, I really was thinking how much I wished I could have lucid dreams and if I could how cool it would be if Shania Twain was in one of 'em.

Anyway, it was the strangest thing. For no reason I could figure out, this woman gets mad and slaps me right in the face.

Women!!! :rolleyes:
So...essentially, what you're saying is, you actually did get spanked by Shania Twain.

So...essentially, what you're saying is, you actually did get spanked by Shania Twain.

Yes.

I ordered UVerse today. The lady I spoke with said I could cancel the TV and keep the Internet portion, which is all I was after. I'll let everyone know how it goes. I ended up getting the U400 and Interent Max or whatever it is called. 10Mb down 1.5 up.

1st month of TV is free and they are sending me a $50 Visa gift card cuz of my troubles.

Just a quick update on that Blu-ray procedure Bob posted about. I had another successful burn, this time of MPEG2 content from Dish (Underworld Evolution). It, too, played just fine on the PS3. This afternoon I test it with a friend's set top Blu-ray player. This procedure is incredibly easy, so I'm really hoping it works consistently. Menus are not really important for this kind of archiving.

One problem is the audio, which is supposed to be DD 5.1 but which isn't playing back properly on my computer. Need to talk about that with you, Bob.

Well, I'm not a happy camper tonight........

Installed Service Pack 3 on my XP PC this morning, and after getting the message that install was successful and I needed to reboot.... it's been in an endless reboot loop ever since.

That's something I almost would have expected with Vista..........

Anyone know whats going on with the CW lately? Seems the digital OTA keeps going in and out all the time.

Well, I'm not a happy camper tonight........

Installed Service Pack 3 on my XP PC this morning, and after getting the message that install was successful and I needed to reboot.... it's been in an endless reboot loop ever since.

That's something I almost would have expected with Vista..........
Bob,
I had the same issue on one of my PC's. If you don't really need anything contained in SP3, which I didn't, I just did a safe-mode, and rolled it back using System Restore.
I haven't tried to put it back in again...and don't plan to.
Funny thing is, it went in fine to 3 other PC's. My next upgrade will probably now be that Win2010.

Well, I'm not a happy camper tonight........

Installed Service Pack 3 on my XP PC this morning, and after getting the message that install was successful and I needed to reboot.... it's been in an endless reboot loop ever since.

That's something I almost would have expected with Vista..........

Thanks for the warning. I've been trying to download it. Fortunately, I have Acronis TrueImage on my systems. If they get hosed by the XP update, I can restore them at bootup in about 10 minutes. I love the peace of mind this provides.

I tried the homemade Blu-ray discs at Best Buy on a new Sony set top, a new Sharp, and an older Panasonic. The Sony was fine with both MPEG2 and MPEG4 DL discs, the Panasonic gagged on the MPEG4 DL but was fine with the MPEG2, and the Sharp just looked confused and spat them back out.

Here's some info that some Charter subscribers may find useful. It's possible that this has been reported here previously, so my apologies if I'm being late to the game and being boringly redundant.

My father's old Sony CRT finally conked out (man, that thing looked ghastly for the past 2 years but kept hanging on). Anyway, his prime criteria for selecting a new TV was that it needed to fit into an existing cabinet that was only 29 inches wide. :rolleyes:

Of course, I tried to point the silliness of this approach, particularly in view of the fact that the cabinet isn't exactly stellar. He ended up with the new Sony 26-inch Bravia LCD.

I helped him set it up this afternoon, and one of the steps the automated configuration process covered was finding available analog and digital channels. I only had a Charter coax cable connected, and it's only authorized to deliver only the most basic Charter analog service. My dad uses it as a backup to DirecTV and also for the local access college basketball (Illini) and high school basketball.

Anyway, while it's going through the channel discovery process the TV turns up around 30 analog channels and more than 50 digital channels. Of course, I figured the software was faulty and that there wouldn't actually be any "digital" channels in the guide when it finished. But I was wrong.

In fact, most of the digital channels it found were audio-only and things like C-Span, with the bulk of them getting weird channel assignments such as 106.2 and 118.21. But there were a couple of low-channel assignments that were a bit more interesting -- channel 1.1 is KTVI-DT (displayed as 720p) and channel 1.2 is kSDk-DT (displayed as 1080i). Obviously there was no sign of KMOV-DT, and I haven't been able to find KDNL-DT either. kSDk's Weather Plus is available as 1.3 in 480i, and it looks like a couple of the KETC subchannels are also there.

This isn't a huge deal, as I'll be arranging for him to get the DirecTV HD DVR shortly, but in the meantime he can at least use kSDk-DT and KTVI-DT to enjoy some HD programming, including the Sunday afternoon Cards' games.

If this is news to anyone else looking for "free" HD, happy hunting. :)

Well, I'm not a happy camper tonight........

Installed Service Pack 3 on my XP PC this morning, and after getting the message that install was successful and I needed to reboot.... it's been in an endless reboot loop ever since.

That's something I almost would have expected with Vista..........FWIW, I recently bought a new PC and it included Vista with Service Pack 1. So far it's been very smooth sailing. I like the integrated search functionality and the eye candy is not bad either (though I was already using WindowBlinds with XP). Some of the User Access stuff is a little annoying, but it seems to be less prevalent for file operations going into week 2.

My only real gripe with Vista is really a gripe with HP, which doesn't include an actual Vista install on a DVD -- only a way to reinstall Windows is to "recover" the PC to exactly the original out-of-the-box crapware-laden state. If anyone has a spare Vista OEM install disc cluttering up your desk, I'd be happy to take it off your hands so that I can do the eventually inevitable clean re-install without the need to nuke the entire system. ;)

Anyone know whats going on with the CW lately? Seems the digital OTA keeps going in and out all the time.

11 has been going out fairly often the past few days, and tonight, when I just so happened to want to check the weather during our storms, KSDK and WeatherPlus were down. Go figure. Also, scanning through the channels to check everyone else, all of the 9's were down briefly too.

If this is what we all have to look forward to in 10 months, I am not impressed.

If this is what we all have to look forward to in 10 months, I am not impressed.You want to join our club? :D

11 has been going out fairly often the past few days, and tonight, when I just so happened to want to check the weather during our storms, KSDK and WeatherPlus were down.

http://radar.weather.gov/ridge/radar.php?rid=LSX&product=NCR&overlay=11101111&loop=yes
is better anyway.

11 has been going out fairly often the past few days, and tonight, when I just so happened to want to check the weather during our storms, KSDK and WeatherPlus were down. Go figure. Also, scanning through the channels to check everyone else, all of the 9's were down briefly too.

If this is what we all have to look forward to in 10 months, I am not impressed.

With a transition this big (about 70 years of analog broadcast TV disappears overnight), I think we can count on things being messy for quite a while. In my opinion, the public education about the change should have happened a lot sooner. However, as someone who's looked forward to this change for many years, I have to say it can't come soon enough for me, despite the problems it will create. We can and will point fingers about how it's been mishandled, but in the end we'll have a digital system that we'll be much happier with.

Yes, it may take a while, but the problem is, they are now on a very short schedule to get all of the bugs ironed out of it before the mandate happens. If the station blackouts keep happening when people have no other option besides the digital, there will be a lot of people with proverbial pitchforks and torches demanding answers or service.

Some day I'll learn (rolls eyes).....

Reinstalled XP (with SP3 slipstreamed in) on my XP editing PC and got everything up and running again.

Thinking the endless reboot loop must have been a fluke, I installed SP3 on the P4 my girlfriend uses to check e-mail and web surf...........

You guessed it. Now her PC is in an endless reboot loop, too.

So the XP SP3 endless reboot loop is officially NOT a fluke.

Good thing I copied off her "My Documents" folder to my UnRaid server before trying the install this time.

Just posted the following to the "Home Theater Computers" area here:

Okay, so I downloaded the Windows XP Service Pack 3 standalone installer package from majorgeeks.com and installed it on my XP SP2 FX-60 editing/encoding PC. I've been current with Windows Updates, so it didn't take long at all, maybe 15 minutes. I got the "done installing, reboot your PC to finish installation" (something like that) message, and rebooted the PC.

And the PC went into an endless reboot loop. It would POST, load the XP splash screen, and as soon as it would normally start loading the GUI, it would reboot again instead. After this vicious cycle repeated 10 times, I said "F*ck this" and shut it off.

An hour later, I figured I'd try it again, but no joy. 8 more reboots later, I shut it off again.

So I took the original install CD, slipstreamed the SP3 into it, and reinstalled Windows from scratch. Several hours of installing software later, I'm editing and encoding again.

Thinking that must have been a fluke, I stupidly updated my girlfriend's P4 to SP3. You guessed it. Now her PC is doing the endless reboot loop.

So I finally did what I should have done the first time, and googled "SP3 reboot." Seems this is a known bug in build 3311, which has now been replaced by build 5508.

It's too late for this info to be any help for me, but figured others here could benefit from my misfortune.

Well..........

Seems that build 3311 is a Release Candidate build that majorgeeks.com failed to identify as such.

NOW they tell me.....................

FWIW, I recently bought a new PC and it included Vista with Service Pack 1. So far it's been very smooth sailing. I like the integrated search functionality and the eye candy is not bad either (though I was already using WindowBlinds with XP). Some of the User Access stuff is a little annoying, but it seems to be less prevalent for file operations going into week 2.

My only real gripe with Vista is really a gripe with HP, which doesn't include an actual Vista install on a DVD -- only a way to reinstall Windows is to "recover" the PC to exactly the original out-of-the-box crapware-laden state. If anyone has a spare Vista OEM install disc cluttering up your desk, I'd be happy to take it off your hands so that I can do the eventually inevitable clean re-install without the need to nuke the entire system. ;)


Doug,
A co-worker of mine wrote a tweaking program that can eliminate some of those annoyances. It's called XdN Tweaker and can be found here:

http://xenomorph.net/?page_id=336

Check it out. The price is right!

I'll let you know if I find a copy of the OEM.
Dave

Doug,
A co-worker of mine wrote a tweaking program that can eliminate some of those annoyances. It's called XdN Tweaker and can be found here:

http://xenomorph.net/?page_id=336

Check it out. The price is right!

I'll let you know if I find a copy of the OEM.
DaveThanks, Dave. Checking it out now...

My brother-in-law is looking for a new TV. He has a small budget(relatively) and was looking at floor models. I told him it's best to stay away. He was looking at RP in the floor model. Would you guys agree that he should stay away, or would it be OK if he got a new lamp on it?
Thanks
Dug

weird...I could've sworn I typed in "stlhdtv.info"...but apparently I typed in "PC magazine" or "computer-geeks.com.

:D

hey, seriously though, is going through all this hassle of editing and burning, etc...worth it? I mean, why not just get a large external drive? It's seems cheaper and easier. Maybe I am lazy? It seems like a lot of work and iffy results at that...Do you need that much content archived? Do you really need Underworld Evolution at your fingertips?

convince me to consider updating my six year old Dell. :eek:

weird...I could've sworn I typed in "stlhdtv.info"...but apparently I typed in "PC magazine" or "computer-geeks.com.

:D

hey, seriously though, is going through all this hassle of editing and burning, etc...worth it? I mean, why not just get a large external drive? It's seems cheaper and easier. Maybe I am lazy? It seems like a lot of work and iffy results at that...Do you need that much content archived? Do you really need Underworld Evolution at your fingertips?

convince me to consider updating my six year old Dell. :eek:

I think you're missing the point. Having Evolution Underworld at your fingertips is useless. For a computer geek, it's having Kate Beckinsale at your fingertips that's vital. :D

Try setting any collector down to explain why he/she collects anything. Punching holes through their reasons probably will be very easy. BTW, I have a large library of archives *and* large external hard drives. Excess in all things!

My brother-in-law is looking for a new TV. He has a small budget(relatively) and was looking at floor models. I told him it's best to stay away. He was looking at RP in the floor model. Would you guys agree that he should stay away, or would it be OK if he got a new lamp on it?
Thanks
Dug

Seven years ago I bought my now dead Mits as a floor model at Ultimate Electronics in Phoenix. They screwed up and delivered a new one to me. I called the store manager after getting a freaked out call a few hours later from the delivery guy. I called the manager who said to not worry about it. I doubt your brother-in-law would get so lucky. :D

I almost went the floor model route this time but the lamp played a large part in my decision. I now know about the service menu so you can see how many hours are on it. The cost of a lamp is around $250 and up IIRC. So it really depends on how much of a savings he would really get. So I would weigh the cost of the actual lamp needed w/extended warranty that includes one replacement lamp against any savings. Not all warranties include a lamp replacement & at least one requires the lamp to be blown. I went to buy mine at UE in St. Peters and since they were out of stock I ended up getting mine at CC. The warranty as most was too high but it includes a lamp replacement and it does not require it to be blown. So he needs to crunch all of the numbers.

Two final things. I had my LE replaced and the tech showed me a latch spring that needed to be set after replacing a lamp. So make sure the manual is written very clearly. Finally, I had a Sony laptop some years ago and found tech support horrible. It may have improved since then but make sure any calls made to support is not a maze and that they are very helpful. FWIW, my experience with Samsung has been a positive one.

He may save more by just buying last years model as I believe several manufacturers roll out the new ones in April & May.

....

He may save more by just buying last years model as I believe several manufacturers roll out the new ones in April & May.

That's what I was hoping to do. I have a 60" SXRD, and was hoping to get him into the newer(discontinued) model, but I can't seem to find them online in town. I was hoping to get them to "throw in" the bulb if he buys it off the floor.

I think Plasma is out of his range, and I(just me) like the picture on RP better than LCD. We'll probably go out looking this week some time. I just thought I'd check others experiences.
Thanks
Dug

How funny. I considered the SXRD floor model UE had. I ended up with a DLP that Doug calibrated and the PQ is sweet.

I'd suggest he still do all the math prior to shopping. Have fun.

I think you're missing the point. Having Evolution Underworld at your fingertips is useless. For a computer geek, it's having Kate Beckinsale at your fingertips that's vital. :D

Try setting any collector down to explain why he/she collects anything. Punching holes through their reasons probably will be very easy. BTW, I have a large library of archives *and* large external hard drives. Excess in all things!

Oh, I get it.

If it helps I am a huge music fan...my thousands of CD's and records are arranged "library of congress style" (I worked at the SIUE library as an undergrad...my job was re-shelving books :D )...alphabetically, then chronologically by album release date, followed by singles, then compilations, then solo works, then any other related supplemental stuff. (i.e. Beatles=Let It Be, Real Love Cd Single, Beatles Love, All Things Must Pass, a beatles "rooftop concert" bootleg)

years ago I guess I went through a similar thing as you guys...transferring records to CD, then later still, all those record-to-CD's and "real" CD's onto my Ipod...a huge undertaking!

Also, there will be things I really like that never end up in HD at all. Although I don't watch much programming multiple times, I do become obsessive about some shows/movies and watch them frequently. It's comforting to have those materials archived. Of course, a lightning strike or fire would wipe out all the hard work and expense of collecting/editing in a few minutes. I wouldn't be happy, but I could live with that. (I'd probably start over again, though.)

a beatles "rooftop concert" bootleg



:eek:As a HUGE Beatles fan, I am very interested!!!!

Dave

hey, seriously though, is going through all this hassle of editing and burning, etc...worth it? I mean, why not just get a large external drive? It's seems cheaper and easier. Maybe I am lazy? It seems like a lot of work and iffy results at that...Do you need that much content archived? Do you really need Underworld Evolution at your fingertips?

My personal opinion, burning's not worth it anymore, but editing and saving your programs/movies/music on a server with redundant backup is WELL worth it.

I've had too many DVD-R's go bad on me (play back fine after first burning, but a year later lock up and freeze).

Nowadays after I edit the commercials out of an episode, I will often (but not always) reencode it to H.264 MPEG-4 to cut the file size to about a third of what was originally. Then I'll copy it over the network to "The Big Server" in the basement.

"The Big Server" in the basement is where I've programmed the HTPC/Windows Media Center to go when I select "video library." So all 9 terabytes are at my fingertips.

Yes, 9 terabytes. And yes, it's a bragging rights thing.

Holographic mass storage debuted recently, though it's still limited to business/government because of high cost. That will come down, though, and we should be able to get into it as normal consumers within a few years. The shelf life is supposed to be decades, though only time will tell.

Keeping with the off-topic trend here, I should have my first Blu-ray burner tomorrow - courtesy in part of the $200 refund I got from Best Buy for my HD DVD players. The DVD project I recently finished originated in HD, and I expect to have a Blu-ray version on disc soon.

When I go into a Best Buy these days, I see all the HDTV's, the Blu-ray players, the HD camcorders. It's enough to get anyone excited about the momentum HD has. The HD snowball is coming down the hill really fast, and electronic Luddites had better get over to the side.

Has anyone here tried Magic-jack? It's the new $20 per year VoIP telephone service. I'm hearing good things about it from a couple of relatives. My Charter telephone is due to increase from $15/month to about $40 and this looks like a really interesting alternative.

BTW, since I've had some negative things to say about Charter in the past, I should note that Charter telephone and Internet service (both of which I have) have been very reliable. I still wouldn't wish Charter TV service on my worst enemy, though. Since my Charter services together could be going up to over $90/month, I'm thinking seriously of moving to Magic-jack if more people I know can tell me it's a good service.

Has anyone here tried Magic-jack? It's the new $20 per year VoIP telephone service. I'm hearing good things about it from a couple of relatives. My Charter telephone is due to increase from $15/month to about $40 and this looks like a really interesting alternative.

BTW, since I've had some negative things to say about Charter in the past, I should note that Charter telephone and Internet service (both of which I have) have been very reliable. I still wouldn't wish Charter TV service on my worst enemy, though. Since my Charter services together could be going up to over $90/month, I'm thinking seriously of moving to Magic-jack if more people I know can tell me it's a good service.
Mr. Clark,
I know of two people using Magic-Jack...both only 30 days-in...thus far, no issues.

BTW, you owe me a movie...I want to see Baby Mama (Tina Fey/Amy Poehler)..LMK when you have it recorded on a HD DVD, and the date/time it will be playing in your theatre, please :D

Thanks, Ken. Baby Mama will be reserved for you, as soon as it hits the home theater scene.

I've been meaning to ask you about my Dish 622's USB drive. It never can seem to remember a resume point for programs that I stop, and it does an irritating pause every few seconds during fast forward scans. I haven't heard about these issues with other Dish USB drive users. Any thoughts? Just my drive?

For any Batman fans out there, here's a sneak peak at the new Batman trailer. (http://www.idontlikeyouinthatway.com/2008/04/kill-the-batman.html) It's really poor quality, but it's probably the best the guy could do with a tiny, shaky camcorder.

And Here's (http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/04/29/votd-batman-vs-the-dark-knight-trailer/) one that shows some comparison shots between the Jack Joker and the Jim Joker.

Has anyone here tried Magic-jack? It's the new $20 per year VoIP telephone service. I'm hearing good things about it from a couple of relatives. My Charter telephone is due to increase from $15/month to about $40 and this looks like a really interesting alternative.

BTW, since I've had some negative things to say about Charter in the past, I should note that Charter telephone and Internet service (both of which I have) have been very reliable. I still wouldn't wish Charter TV service on my worst enemy, though. Since my Charter services together could be going up to over $90/month, I'm thinking seriously of moving to Magic-jack if more people I know can tell me it's a good service.

I asked this question a couple of weeks ago. A friend of mine has had it for about 2 months. He has had no problems. One of the nice things about the device is that you can take it with you and use it anywhere you have access to high speed. A regular phone is also required.

I was thinking of getting this for my grandchildren. Dad limits their cell time.

Walt

Thanks, Ken. Baby Mama will be reserved for you, as soon as it hits the home theater scene.

I've been meaning to ask you about my Dish 622's USB drive. It never can seem to remember a resume point for programs that I stop, and it does an irritating pause every few seconds during fast forward scans. I haven't heard about these issues with other Dish USB drive users. Any thoughts? Just my drive?
And, exactly why can't you just call Tina and have her FedEx you a copy?
Send her a text?

I have my EHDD connected to a 722, where resume works fine. It's on the second screen after checking the event box, and selecting play, of events previously started.
I also believe EHDD resume is triggered by using the remote STOP key, as opposed to exiting using Live TV, or some other means.
I believe it is, but I'm not certain, the same on the 622. Also, I'm running a different s/w version on my 722.

Tricks and EHDD have yet to be completely cleaned up, much dependent on the many different drives out there. If a cold restart of both the 622 and EHDD does not resolve the trick issue, they will eventually get to it, and one day, it'll just go away.

Are you waiting for information regarding the Household Key feature?

Tell Tina I said Hi :D

I am waiting for info on the Household Key feature, but a friend is even more interested, since he just had a 722 added to the 622 at his house.

Don't know if Tina is answering my phone calls (something silly about a restraint order - gotta clear that up). I do have a friend who knows Christian Bale really well, so I might be able to get some inside info on that Batman movie.

For those unRaid users here, you might be interested in this. (http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=8647&tag=nl.e539) Hans Reiser was convicted for his wife's murder. Don't know what (if anything) this will mean for unRaid, since it uses his file system.

Since ReiserFS is open source, it will either be continued by others, or it will be "forked" under a new name and then continued by others.

I do not expect to see ReiserFS go away.

- Trip

Law & Order SVU recording last night was mostly blank. Any D* users expereience the same thing on 5? I only had the last 15 minutes. Everything else was a black.

I have the HR20-700. I just got the national release of the newest software and last night was the first time I had stuff scheduled with the new version. Everything else recorded fine.

I am waiting for info on the Household Key feature, but a friend is even more interested, since he just had a 722 added to the 622 at his house.
PM

Don't know if Tina is answering my phone calls (something silly about a restraint order - gotta clear that up). I do have a friend who knows Christian Bale really well, so I might be able to get some inside info on that Batman movie.
Yeah, so...I don't answer when you call either :D

Law & Order SVU recording last night was mostly blank. Any D* users expereience the same thing on 5? I only had the last 15 minutes. Everything else was a black.

I have the HR20-700. I just got the national release of the newest software and last night was the first time I had stuff scheduled with the new version. Everything else recorded fine.Not sure about my recording, I'll try checking tonight.

Not sure about my recording, I'll try checking tonight.

Thanks. I was recording something else at the same time. So two were supposed to record.

Yeah, so...I don't answer when you call either :D

Come to think of it, my mom's the only one who answers when I call - and she's usually washing her hair, so she can't talk long. Maybe I shouldn't encourage her to get caller ID after all. :confused:

Since ReiserFS is open source, it will either be continued by others, or it will be "forked" under a new name and then continued by others.

I do not expect to see ReiserFS go away.

- Trip

That'd be my guess, too. The unRaid team did conduct a "poll" on their site when he was arrested, asking if we thought the arrest should have any impact on unRaid.

2008 ST. LOUIS CARDINALS HIGH DEFINITION SCHEDULE

GOOGLE CALENDAR HERE (http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=NWI5YzA0aHM0YnN2b2dwMnRiaXZyODVnNzhAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW 5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ)

MARCH (1)
Mon Mar 31 Colorado 3:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD PPD-Rain

APRIL (21) 12-9 in HD
Tue Apr 1 Colorado 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 1-2]
Wed Apr 2 Colorado 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 8-3]
Thu Apr 3 Colorado 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 3-0]
Sat Apr 5 Washington 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 5-4]
Sun Apr 6 Washington 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT [W 3-0]
Mon Apr 7 at Houston 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 3-5]
Tue Apr 8 at Houston 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 5-3]
Sun Apr 13 at San Francisco 3:05 p.m. KSDK-DT [L 4-7]
Tue Apr 15 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 6-1]
Wed Apr 16 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 5-4]
Thu Apr 17 Milwaukee 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 3-5]
Sat Apr 19 San Francisco 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 0-3]
Sun Apr 20 San Francisco 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT [L 2-8]
Mon Apr 21 at Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 4-3]
Tue Apr 22 at Milwaukee 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 8-9]
Fri Apr 25 Houston 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 2-3]
Sat Apr 26 Houston 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 4-3]
Sun Apr 27 Houston 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT [W 5-1]
Mon Apr 28 Cincinnati 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 3-4]
Tue Apr 29 Cincinnati 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 7-2]
Wed Apr 30 Cincinnati 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 5-2]

MAY (21)
Fri May 2 Chicago 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat May 3 Chicago 2:45 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT
Sun May 4 Chicago 7:05 p.m. ESPN-HD
Mon May 5 at Colorado 7:30 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu May 8 at Colorado 2:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat May 10 at Milwaukee 2:45 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT
Sun May 11 at Milwaukee 1:05 p.m. KSDK-DT
Mon May 12 at Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Tue May 13 Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed May 14 Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu May 15 Pittsburgh 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Fri May 16 Tampa Bay 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat May 17 Tampa Bay 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sun May 18 Tampa Bay 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT
Sat May 24 at Los Angeles 9:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sun May 25 at Los Angeles 3:10 p.m. KSDK-DT
Tue May 27 Houston 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed May 28 Houston 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu May 29 Houston 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Fri May 30 Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat May 31 Pittsburgh 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD

JUNE (18)
Sun June 1 Pittsburgh 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT
Mon June 2 Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed June 4 at Washington 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu June 5 at Washington 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat June 7 at Houston 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sun June 8 at Houston 1:05 p.m. KSDK-DT
Sat June 14 Philadelphia 2:55 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT
Sun June 15 Philadelphia 1:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Tue June 17 Kansas City 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed June 18 Kansas City 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu June 19 Kansas City 1:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat June 21 at Boston 2:55 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT
Sun June 22 at Boston 12:35 p.m. KSDK-DT
Tue June 24 at Detroit 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed June 25 at Detroit 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu June 26 at Detroit 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sun June 29 at Kansas City 1:10 p.m. KSDK-DT
Mon June 30 New York Mets 6:05 p.m. ESPN-HD & FSNMW-HD

JULY[U] (19)
Tue July 1 New York Mets 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed July 2 New York Mets 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu July 3 New York Mets 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Fri July 4 Chicago 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat July 5 Chicago 2:55 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT
Sun July 6 Chicago 2:15 p.m. KSDK-DT
Thu July 10 at Philadelphia 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat July 12 at Pittsburgh 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sun July 13 at Pittsburgh 12:35 p.m. KSDK-DT

Tue July 15 All Star Game-Yankee Stadium FOX/KTVI-DT

Thu July 17 San Diego 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Fri July 18 San Diego 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat July 19 San Diego 2:55 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT
Sun July 20 San Diego 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT
Mon July 21 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Tue July 22 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed July 23 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu July 24 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat July 26 at New York Mets 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sun July 27 at New York Mets 12:10 p.m. KSDK-DT

[U]AUGUST (18)
Fri Aug 1 Philadelphia 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat Aug 2 Philadelphia 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sun Aug 3 Philadelphia 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT
Tue Aug 5 Los Angeles 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed Aug 6 Los Angeles 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu Aug 7 Los Angeles 1:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat Aug 9 at Chicago 2:55 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT
Mon Aug 11 at Florida 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu Aug 14 at Florida 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Tue Aug 19 Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed Aug 20 Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Fri Aug 22 Atlanta 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat Aug 23 Atlanta 2:55 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT
Sun Aug 24 Atlanta 1:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Tue Aug 26 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed Aug 27 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat Aug 30 at Houston 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sun Aug 31 at Houston 1:05 p.m. KSDK-DT

SEPTEMBER (18)
Mon Sept 1 at Arizona 3:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed Sept 3 at Arizona 2:30 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Fri Sept 5 Florida 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat Sept 6 Florida 6:05 p.m. KSDK-DT
Sun Sept 7 Florida 1:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Tue Sept 9 Chicago 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed Sept 10 Chicago 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu Sept 11 Chicago 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Fri Sept 12 at Pittsburgh 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat Sept 13 at Pittsburgh 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sun Sept 14 at Pittsburgh 12:35 p.m. KSDK-DT
Mon Sept 22 Arizona 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Tue Sept 23 Arizona 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed Sept 24 Arizona 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu Sept 25 Arizona 1:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Fri Sept 26 Cincinnati 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat Sept 27 Cincinnati 6:00 p.m FSNMW-HD
Sun Sept 28 Cincinnati 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT

116 Total HD Broadcasts (73 in 2007 - +60%)
HD Record: 12 - 9 (2007: 34-37)

:eek:As a HUGE Beatles fan, I am very interested!!!!

Dave

Me too. What's this rooftop concert all about????????

Thanks. I was recording something else at the same time. So two were supposed to record.
Didn't get to check my recording of Law & Order SVU last night, I will try again tonight.

Me too. What's this rooftop concert all about????????

the rooftop concert from the end of "Let it Be".

it's not a big deal, really. I think it's six songs, with two performed twice.

if you have Anthology 3, Let It Be and Let It Be...Naked, I think you already have all the songs.

the rooftop concert from the end of "Let it Be".

it's not a big deal, really. I think it's six songs, with two performed twice.

if you have Anthology 3, Let It Be and Let It Be...Naked, I think you already have all the songs.
I happen to know for a fact, Joe Clark does NOT perform naked.
He does do this thong thing...OMG, it's to die for :D

A good experience...

My 17" Dell LCD HDTV died on Monday. It was used daily, but on Monday, turned on to only audio, and no video. Purchased in 2004.

I went to Dell's online support chat, and was referred to their out-of-warranty department. On Tuesday, I called the out-of-warranty department. The rep told me, it's a known issue, calling it a design defect, and as a result, even though the unit was well past its' warranty period, Dell would replace it at no cost and ship me the replacement. All I was required to do is, return the defective unit in the same box, with the Dell provided return shipping label.

Yesterday, the unit arrived, but it was a 23" instead of a 17". I called the rep (he had given me his # and ext). He apologized for the inconvenience, and told me Dell had no stock on the 17" unit, so they shipped the next size up. It's the identical unit, just bigger. He said, he didn't know until I called that they were out-of-stock, and asked if I minded keeping the larger unit. I told him that was fine. :D

10 minutes in the online chat...10 minutes on the phone with out-of warranty...2 days to receive the replacement. No cost to me. Even apart from getting a larger unit, it was all handled very well. :)

the rooftop concert from the end of "Let it Be".

it's not a big deal, really. I think it's six songs, with two performed twice.

if you have Anthology 3, Let It Be and Let It Be...Naked, I think you already have all the songs.

Got it. Thanks. With all the bootleg stuff out there, I thought maybe I was missing something.

It doesn't look like this has been mentioned here yet, but it appears that St. Louis is the first market to get a revised version of the U-Verse system that now allows for two simultaneous HD streams into a home.

For many, the one HD stream limitation made U-Verse a non-starter. If this drawback is truly addressed and there is no major downside in how it's implemented, this would seem to open the door to giving everyone another viable Pay TV service alternative.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/05/01/atandt-activates-2hd-2sd-u-verse-service-in-st-louis-more-citi/

Hey Ken,

Are there any specific changes to the HD schedule that need to be included in the Google Calendar?

I ordered Direct TV today...I could not handle the problems I was having with Dish Network. I ordered the HD DVR, and if it is the HR21, I'll be getting the new AM21 OTA turner. Does the EPG populate with information with the sub-channels? Premier will be the installer. Anyone had any bad experiences with them? For those of you wanting the $50.00 credit for new subscribers...sorry but my brother asked first!

People have had problems with Premier, but you might not..Don't go in expecting problems,
just come back here and let is know and we can try to point you in a direction.

Yes, the EPG will populate the sub channels.

It doesn't look like this has been mentioned here yet, but it appears that St. Louis is the first market to get a revised version of the U-Verse system that now allows for two simultaneous HD streams into a home.

For many, the one HD stream limitation made U-Verse a non-starter. If this drawback is truly addressed and there is no major downside in how it's implemented, this would seem to open the door to giving everyone another viable Pay TV service alternative.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/05/01/atandt-activates-2hd-2sd-u-verse-service-in-st-louis-more-citi/


It would be nice if they could roll out U-Verse a little wider. I've been checking their availability website for my mother-in-law for the last several months. It still lists it as unavailable. She is in the Twin Oaks/Ballwin area. I won't get it for myself, but I check my house in Ballwin, and it is also unavailable. I thought Ballwin was one of the first areas they rolled out in after Creve Coeur.

Dug

Thanks. I was recording something else at the same time. So two were supposed to record.

I didn't watch the whole recording, but I did fast-forward through most of the episode and it appears that the whole episode of L&O SUV thing is there. I recorded OTA 5-1

Hey Ken,

Are there any specific changes to the HD schedule that need to be included in the Google Calendar?
I changed them for you ;)

It doesn't look like this has been mentioned here yet, but it appears that St. Louis is the first market to get a revised version of the U-Verse system that now allows for two simultaneous HD streams into a home.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/05/01/atandt-activates-2hd-2sd-u-verse-service-in-st-louis-more-citi/

Well, it hasn't hit the mid-County area yet.

FWIW, the picture quality seems to be much improved since January. Lost has looked absolutely spectacular the last few episodes.

I didn't watch the whole recording, but I did fast-forward through most of the episode and it appears that the whole episode of L&O SUV thing is there. I recorded OTA 5-1

Thanks for checking. I got the new software the night before L&O. I knew I had gotten it as the light ring was on. I rebooted for good measure so I don't know why only the last 15 minutes was recorded. At least it is repeated on Sunday.

I recorded 4 shows last night and they were fine.

I ordered Direct TV today...I could not handle the problems I was having with Dish Network. I ordered the HD DVR, and if it is the HR21, I'll be getting the new AM21 OTA turner. Does the EPG populate with information with the sub-channels? Premier will be the installer. Anyone had any bad experiences with them? For those of you wanting the $50.00 credit for new subscribers...sorry but my brother asked first!

There is a checklist of installation tips over at DBS Talks. You can grab the PDF link from here:
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=67769

Here is the number for Premier: 800-210-0355

If you go here: http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=115 (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=72648)You will find a FAQ, Undocumented Tips & Tricks and more.

Here some highlights:

The installer will:
+ Call a day ahead to confirm and again when he is on his way to you
+ Arrive on time and clean up afterwards
+ Before starting work explain any extra fees
+ Provided a name and phone number if there are any problems
+ Give you your owners manual

The installer will show you how to:
+ Find national and local channels (verifies HD Access and local channel access is correct)
+ Turn the satellite receiver, TV, DVD, etc. on/off using the remote (verifies remote is programmed)
+ Change channels and volume with the remote (verifies TV can be controlled with the remote)
+ Set up parental controls and favorite channels
+ Check satellite signal strengths (Check 103(b) to make sure it is at least 85+)
+ Find your OTA TV antenna channels if you have a TV antenna connected
+ Record a program (verifies DVR service is correct)
+ Restart the satellite receiver (if needed)
+ Change the TV Input to all devices connected to the TV (verifies everything is connected)
+ Compare picture and settings for SD and HD channels (verifies you really are watching HD)

Thanks Mo...I did call Premier today and asked specifically what was on the order form...and she told me a 5 lnb slimline dish, HD DVR HR21, and the order did have a notation to bring the new AM21 OTA turner, and they do have them in stock. Should be here tomorrow between noon and 5:00. How much different it using the HR21 compared to the VIP622 from E*?

Thanks Mo...I did call Premier today and asked specifically what was on the order form...and she told me a 5 lnb slimline dish, HD DVR HR21, and the order did have a notation to bring the new AM21 OTA turner, and they do have them in stock. Should be here tomorrow between noon and 5:00. How much different it using the HR21 compared to the VIP622 from E*?

I have never been used any E* equipment so I can't help. There is a short FAQ of sorts in the onscreen menu and a D* channel that loops the basic instructions.

The Tips & Tricks (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=72648) link over at DBS was the most helpful for me. The PDF link is at the bottom of the page.

Just make sure the installer peaks your dish. FWIW, all of my numbers are in the high nineties on both tuners on all sats. Make sure 103(c) is high.
May want to have OTA info from antennaweb.org handy too.

EDIT: I found this thread @ DBS. Comparing the HR10-250, HR20-100/700, HR21-700 and ViP622/722. (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=95242)

Thanks Mo...I did call Premier today and asked specifically what was on the order form...and she told me a 5 lnb slimline dish, HD DVR HR21, and the order did have a notation to bring the new AM21 OTA turner, and they do have them in stock. Should be here tomorrow between noon and 5:00. How much different it using the HR21 compared to the VIP622 from E*?
The DISH ViP series are regarded by most, both users and independent reviews, as one of the best HD DVR's in market.
That said, once you get used to the HR21 (they all have a learning curve), you'll be fine with it.
TiVo users had issues moving to the HR series. It's just a different machine...I've used both, and they both work well.

I wish I could say that I was enjoying Direct TV, but I can't. The installer shows up and asked if I was ready for my upgrade. I told him this was for a full install. All he brought was the HD DVR receiver...no dish or cable. I asked to look at the order. We both looked at it and it had everything listed, even the AM21. He did not even know what that was. I told him that when they called yesterday and today they read the list to me and said everything was in stock and would be on the truck. When he called the office, they told him they did not even have the AM21's in yet. Direct TV is shipping it to me and I'm to call Premier then to re-schedule. This guy had the Direct TV shirt and hat, but was wsorking from his personal minivan. Must be a sub-contractor.

I wish I could say that I was enjoying Direct TV, but I can't. The installer shows up and asked if I was ready for my upgrade. I told him this was for a full install. All he brought was the HD DVR receiver...no dish or cable. I asked to look at the order. We both looked at it and it had everything listed, even the AM21. He did not even know what that was. I told him that when they called yesterday and today they read the list to me and said everything was in stock and would be on the truck. When he called the office, they told him they did not even have the AM21's in yet. Direct TV is shipping it to me and I'm to call Premier then to re-schedule. This guy had the Direct TV shirt and hat, but was working from his personal minivan. Must be a sub-contractor.
Well, that sucks...hopefully, they'll get it right next time out :)
Really, this happens with all of them....Direct, Dish, Charter, etc., it's just the nature of the beast.

When I had my very first HD DVR installed, the installers left, telling me the box was bad, and to call-in for a replacement. It was the first one they had ever seen/installed, and connected it using only 1 SAT feed :eek:

Hey, I understand that no one here, including myself, really cares about this, but I've been getting no signal on KNLC 24.1.

Just wondering if it my stuff, location, or a general problem.

Hey, I understand that no one here, including myself, really cares about this, but I've been getting no signal on KNLC 24.1.

Just wondering if it my stuff, location, or a general problem.

I'm getting KNLC on MyHD (computer capture card). It's not coming in on my Dish 211 (OTA antenna), though.

Hey, I understand that no one here, including myself, really cares about this, but I've been getting no signal on KNLC 24.1.

Just wondering if it my stuff, location, or a general problem.

My HDHomeRun is not getting a signal on it this morning. The HR20 and FusionHDTV tuners could never pick that channel up in the first place, so they don't count... but this is the first time the HDHomeRun isn't receiving it, either.

The DISH ViP series are regarded by most, both users and independent reviews, as one of the best HD DVR's in market.
That said, once you get used to the HR21 (they all have a learning curve), you'll be fine with it.
TiVo users had issues moving to the HR series. It's just a different machine...I've used both, and they both work well.

I agree. I have the Dish VIP 622 HD Tuner/DVR and it has performed flawlessly. It features and capabilities are outstanding. I am very happy with my Dish service. As with anything, however, there appear to be two parallel universes when it comes to user experiences. Some have no problems while others can't seem to get anything working right. I guess why that's why it's good to have more than one choice for service. In the St. Louis metro area we have four choices now (Dish, Direct, Charter, and at&t Uverse) so hopefully everyone can find something that satisfies their needs.

I love the Dish 622. It's been a very consistent performer. It can record 3 programs while watching a 4th, all in HD. You can add external USB hard drives and not lose your internal storage. And with Dish I can record anything to the computer (legally, BTW). Dish may at this point have slightly less HD channels than D*, but they've consistently added the HD I want, including SciFi. It would take a powerful incentive (that I don't see happening) for me to consider switching.

Meanwhile, you will hear horror stories about service and installation problems from some people with all the major players. You can always prove your point about why a person shouldn't go with D*, E* or Charter because of anecdotal evidence. I continue with Dish because it fits my needs best. I use Charter for Internet service because I don't have a choice (and they've been reliable). I use Charter for telephone now because of a promotional deal they ran last year. I gave up Vonage for Charter. No complaints with Charter telephone, but I may go with Magic-Jack in a couple of months, because it looks to fit my needs for the best price. I'm just holding out a little longer, hoping I'll be able to hang on to my current phone number. I love competition in the media marketplace.

I don't know if this has been discussed here, but Blockbuster has added Blu-ray to almost all its stores (over 5000 nationwide). The BB just a few blocks away now has a pretty decent selection of titles. They also have started offering a service where you can check out 1 Blu-ray (or DVD) at a time for $21.99/month (or 2 at a time for $29.99 - I used to use this service, since they've had it for years). This actually beats Netflix, if what you want is the latest titles, and you watch a lot of movies. What I do is to sign up for the service, watch a movie a day or so and then quit at the end of the month (suggested to me some time ago by a Blockbuster employee). A few months later, you can add the service again and catch up. My pop IQ has taken a hit, but it's a lot cheaper. I end up spending about a buck to rent a movie this way. With Netflix, I end up with maybe 8 titles a month, at $8.99/month, and I have to drive to the post office to insure fast returns of rented movies.

I agree. I have the Dish VIP 622 HD Tuner/DVR and it has performed flawlessly. It features and capabilities are outstanding. I am very happy with my Dish service. As with anything, however, there appear to be two parallel universes when it comes to user experiences. Some have no problems while others can't seem to get anything working right.
Personally, I believe there is much that can be said for the saying, "no two installs are alike."

Much can be attributed to how one particular receiver/service will work/not work, in one configuration, but not in another.

It seems to be the only common denominator that explains why some experience absolutely flawless results, and other experience an outright nightmare.

I'm just holding out a little longer, hoping I'll be able to hang on to my current phone number.
Didn't we all pay a bundle into some telephone "number portability" fund? What ever happened to that?

Didn't we all pay a bundle into some telephone "number portability" fund? What ever happened to that?

The way I understand it is that Magic-Jack is going to offer that service, but it hasn't been implemented yet. You are assigned a phone number in the area code you want, although not all area codes are offered at this point.

Now that I own a 622 and a 722 driving two different HD TV's in two different rooms, I'm going to bring up an old topic with the hope that Jim, our KDNL buddy may chime in.

I simply cannot receive CC on certain ABC shows. Last night, "Desperate Housewives" as well as "Brothers and Sisters" had zero CC throughout the entire shows on the HD feeds. I could see no CC via the DVRs or via the respective OTA tuners. Nor could I see any CC via HD-OTA on satellite locals. So neither the TVs nor the DVRs were able to decode CC on the HD feeds. Only ABC is affected.

However, CC was fully available on other networks (OTA and SAT) as well as the SD broadcasts of the above two ABC shows via Dish locals. I doubt the issue can be on my end.

Any suggestions?

Here's a story (http://www.tvpredictions.com/scifi050508.htm) about Star Trek: The Next Generation being brought to us by the SciFi channel in HD. Has anyone heard this rumor elsewhere? I thought the problem was that the show was edited in SD, with all effects being created in SD in post, requiring a massive redo for HD. TNG is my favorite Trek, so I'd love to see this happen.

Now that I own a 622 and a 722 driving two different HD TV's in two different rooms, I'm going to bring up an old topic with the hope that Jim, our KDNL buddy may chime in.

I simply cannot receive CC on certain ABC shows. Last night, "Desperate Housewives" as well as "Brothers and Sisters" had zero CC throughout the entire shows on the HD feeds. I could see no CC via the DVRs or via the respective OTA tuners. Nor could I see any CC via HD-OTA on satellite locals. So neither the TVs nor the DVRs were able to decode CC on the HD feeds. Only ABC is affected.

However, CC was fully available on other networks (OTA and SAT) as well as the SD broadcasts of the above two ABC shows via Dish locals. I doubt the issue can be on my end.

Any suggestions?
Mo,
In fairness to Jim/KDNL, DISH still has some CC issues. They are isolated and sporadic, but still exist with some shows, in some markets.
I can do some SbS using a 722, 622 and 612, and try to pinpoint the issue for you, and/or possibly include/exclude DISH from the mix.

As you know, I seldom use CC...a couple of questions...
-When the issue occurs, does it happen on both the 622 and 722?
-Is it exclusive to ABC/KDNL?
-The shows you mentioned (DHW and B&S), does it occur with every airing?
-What mode do you view these shows in...Live; Delayed; DVR?
-Which CC Mode do you use?
-What are the time-slots of the shows? (so I can set up timers...lazy :o)

"After months of rumors and denials, the XBOX 360 with a Blu-ray disc drive is due to be manufactured soon and shipped in Q3 of 2008. Pegatron Technology, an OEM subsidiary of Asustek Computer, is reported to have received the winning order from Microsoft for a Blu-ray equipped XBOX 360."

Linky HERE (http://www.tomshardware.com/news/xbox-blu-ray-360,5272.html)

Now that I own a 622 and a 722 driving two different HD TV's in two different rooms, I'm going to bring up an old topic with the hope that Jim, our KDNL buddy may chime in.

I simply cannot receive CC on certain ABC shows. Last night, "Desperate Housewives" as well as "Brothers and Sisters" had zero CC throughout the entire shows on the HD feeds. I could see no CC via the DVRs or via the respective OTA tuners. Nor could I see any CC via HD-OTA on satellite locals. So neither the TVs nor the DVRs were able to decode CC on the HD feeds. Only ABC is affected.

However, CC was fully available on other networks (OTA and SAT) as well as the SD broadcasts of the above two ABC shows via Dish locals. I doubt the issue can be on my end.

Any suggestions?


Don't think it's us. We've had the CC complaint from viewers with some receiver brands. ABC does not send the CC on the HD feed yet, so we bridge it from the analog feed and change it into the proper ATSC format. It seems some receivers don't like this for unknown reasons. Some time this summer ABC says CC will be available on the HD feed...we'll see if this make a difference.
Jim

Here's a story (http://www.tvpredictions.com/scifi050508.htm) about Star Trek: The Next Generation being brought to us by the SciFi channel in HD. Has anyone heard this rumor elsewhere? I thought the problem was that the show was edited in SD, with all effects being created in SD in post, requiring a massive redo for HD. TNG is my favorite Trek, so I'd love to see this happen.

Yeah, the existing DVD sets of ST:TNG aren't even 480p. They're interlaced 480i, with picture quality not much different from the older LaserDiscs of the same episodes.

I'm having difficulty believing there'll be a lot of benefit to remastering/upconverting these to HD, unless they go back and completely redo the special effects from scratch.

Here's a story (http://www.tvpredictions.com/scifi050508.htm) about Star Trek: The Next Generation being brought to us by the SciFi channel in HD. Has anyone heard this rumor elsewhere? I thought the problem was that the show was edited in SD, with all effects being created in SD in post, requiring a massive redo for HD. TNG is my favorite Trek, so I'd love to see this happen.

And what's with the article complaining about SciFi-HD airing shows in Stretch-O-Vision? SciFi-HD is one of the few HD channels that doesn't do ANY stretching of SD content.

"After months of rumors and denials, the XBOX 360 with a Blu-ray disc drive is due to be manufactured soon and shipped in Q3 of 2008. Pegatron Technology, an OEM subsidiary of Asustek Computer, is reported to have received the winning order from Microsoft for a Blu-ray equipped XBOX 360."

Linky HERE (http://www.tomshardware.com/news/xbox-blu-ray-360,5272.html)

And here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/microsoftblu050508.htm) Swanni quotes a Microsoft denial of that order, but he doesn't believe them.

Yeah, the existing DVD sets of ST:TNG aren't even 480p. They're interlaced 480i, with picture quality not much different from the older LaserDiscs of the same episodes.

I'm having difficulty believing there'll be a lot of benefit to remastering/upconverting these to HD, unless they go back and completely redo the special effects from scratch.

As strong as the Trek fan base is, they could probably make money even if they have to recreate the FX. The show, of course, was shot on film, so it should translate well to HD. They did it with the original series. Even with 7 years of FX, it's probably worth it to do them over.

What's everyone's favorite solution for converting recorded MPGs (such as the recorded output from BeyondTV) into a DVD? I'm ready to give up on Nero. It can't seem to edit MPGs without crashing (or should I say it edits, but crashes when attempting to save the result?)

I'm trying a trial version of VideoReDo now, and it looks promising. What do YOU all like?

Ken,

See my answers below in red. My cheapie Kitchen set with ATSC seems to decode the ABC CC sparodically but I've seen it nowhere else. This does seem network related as the CC returns with daytime shows, commercials, etc. Not sure if ALL network shows have this problem as I have not looked that close.



-When the issue occurs, does it happen on both the 622 and 722?
Yes, it appears so.
-Is it exclusive to ABC/KDNL?
Yes.
-The shows you mentioned (DHW and B&S), does it occur with every airing?
Yes, to my knowledge.
-What mode do you view these shows in...Live; Delayed; DVR?
Mode seems to not matter.
-Which CC Mode do you use?
Default settings
-What are the time-slots of the shows? (so I can set up timers...lazy :o)
Sunday nite...8 to 10 PM.


FYI, I cannot see CC on those shows via the ATCS tuners of the TV, OTA of the Dish tuner or Local HD sat channels.

Don't think it's us. We've had the CC complaint from viewers with some receiver brands. ABC does not send the CC on the HD feed yet, so we bridge it from the analog feed and change it into the proper ATSC format. It seems some receivers don't like this for unknown reasons. Some time this summer ABC says CC will be available on the HD feed...we'll see if this make a difference.
Jim

Jim, See my post #7102 for mre details. This soon all be moot when the feed comes from the network.

-When the issue occurs, does it happen on both the 622 and 722?
Yes, it appears so.

FYI, I cannot see CC on those shows via the ATCS tuners of the TV, OTA of the Dish tuner or Local HD sat channels.
I'd say, based on this alone, it makes this other than a provider or STB issue...agree?

I will view both shows, and see if I get any CC on them.

What's everyone's favorite solution for converting recorded MPGs (such as the recorded output from BeyondTV) into a DVD? I'm ready to give up on Nero. It can't seem to edit MPGs without crashing (or should I say it edits, but crashes when attempting to save the result?)

I'm trying a trial version of VideoReDo now, and it looks promising. What do YOU all like?

I use VideoRedp for most MPEG2 files. It's a slick, clean interface and is easy to use. For some files, I've had to use MPEG2VCR by Womble, but its a rare file that VideoRedo can't handle.

Right now I'm looking for something comparable for editing MPEG4 files. Anyone?

No complaints with Charter telephone, but I may go with Magic-Jack in a couple of months, because it looks to fit my needs for the best price. I'm just holding out a little longer, hoping I'll be able to hang on to my current phone number. I love competition in the media marketplace.

As far as everything I've read goes, phone number portability is a requirement if you ask. See: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/numbport.html My wife was offered a bundle with AT&T and the person making the offer said we'd have to change the phone number. They must not want to do it. I told my wife if she thought it was a good deal to tell them they were feeding her a line of B.S. and should familiarize themselves with the FCC requirements.

From DSLReports.com (http://www.dslreports.com/) front page.
AT&T Offering Dual U-Verse HD Streams In St. Louis

Long-promised feature quietly pops up on the radar...
01:54PM Tuesday May 06 2008 by Karl

U-Verse users indicates that AT&T is finally starting to roll out dual stream HD to some users in the St. Louis market. So far, users who sign up for 10Mbps VDSL data service say their gateway is syncing at 25Mbps and they're getting two HD streams without any apparent loss in quality. I'd seen reports of U-Verse gateways syncing at nearly 100Mbps, though we're talking about only 1,400 feet from the DSLAM. It seems that 25Mbps is working well at distances of 3,000 feet; distances higher than 5,000 feet are where the trouble starts.

To fit dual HD streams into that 25Mbps while leaving room for other services, AT&T has been mastering compression techniques. Providing dual HD streams is an important competitive milestone because until it's implemented, U-Verse TV simply isn't on par with many cable & satellite HD offerings.

AT&T will be spending less than a third of what Verizon is spending to deploy FiOS, a move that pleases skittish and impatient investors, but makes providing DOCSIS 3.0 competitive speeds and HD capacity a challenge.

AT&T says they'll offer pair bonded VDSL by the end of this year. To offer bonded VDSL, AT&T needs to assign two DSLAM ports to each customer, and deploy a special residential gateway outside the house that can terminate two pairs. That should help the HD bandwidth crunch, and allow AT&T to offer faster speeds than 10Mbps

I'd say, based on this alone, it makes this other than a provider or STB issue...agree?

I will view both shows, and see if I get any CC on them.

Yes, I agree. This is not on my end. You'll probably agree next Sunday if you tune in. The only place you will probably see CC is on the SD channels.

Remember my bragging recently about finding an ATI Radeon 2600XT for $60 at Best Buy? Well, here's (http://slickdeals.net/#p3787) the same card for as low as $20 at Buy.com - after rebate and Google checkout. Makes for a pretty good start to a cheap HTPC.

Remember my bragging recently about finding an ATI Radeon 2600XT for $60 at Best Buy? Well, here's (http://slickdeals.net/#p3787) the same card for as low as $20 at Buy.com - after rebate and Google checkout. Makes for a pretty good start to a cheap HTPC.

Too bad that $10 off for Google Checkout is only for first timers... though that's still a deal I might jump on if my stimulus check shows up this week. Otherwise I gotta wait til the end of NEXT week for my paycheck, and it probably will have expired by then.

I think it's likely that a big part of the reason that AT&T is not jumping up and down in response to a request to transfer an existing phone is that the process of requesting the transfer alerts your current provider to the fact that you are getting ready to heave anchor. As a result, your current provider will use that information in order to try to keep you as a customer, presumably by offering a discount.

Best case, this process delays the sale for the new provider; worst case, it kills it.

This process incorporates a double disincentive for the phone companies -- first, they would prefer no number portability to make it more difficult for their own customers to terminate the relationship, and two, the process of notifying the existing carrier opens the door to losing the potential new customer as a result of the incumbent provider being alerted to a potential customer loss.

This sort of "mandate" is another good illustration of the law of unintended consequences -- it seems to be the sole core competency of federal lawmakers (see Exhibit A: Ethanol and Rising Food Prices).

That said, I appreciate the desire to maintain a phone number, and in the end it's probably worth the additional effort it requires. But the problem is that it's not something that is likely to happen without plenty of customer pushing and prodding.


As far as everything I've read goes, phone number portability is a requirement if you ask. See: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/numbport.html My wife was offered a bundle with AT&T and the person making the offer said we'd have to change the phone number. They must not want to do it. I told my wife if she thought it was a good deal to tell them they were feeding her a line of B.S. and should familiarize themselves with the FCC requirements.

Just to see if 1080i ATSC broadcasts make decent homemade BluRay discs, I took last night's Two and a Half Men (I don't normally watch that show but this episode was a CSI parody) and made a BluRay on a plain ol' DVD-R with it.

Catch is, 29.97fps 1080i is NOT included in the spec for BluRay... it allows for 1080p 24fps or 59.94fps, but no 1080i. So with that in mind, I used a crappy generic DVD-R disc for the test.

PowerDVD played my out-of-spec 1080i homemade BluRay disc mostly without incident. Looked and sounded great, though it did freeze and lock up a few seconds before the end credits would have started. Don't know whether that was from the 1080i being out of spec, or just from the cheesy no-name blank DVD-R that I used.

Gonna try it on our display model 301 BluRay player at work tomorrow (briefly, since Two and a Half Men ain't exactly a family show).

BTW, the episode is hilarious... there's a Marg Helgenberger lookalike playing the interrogating cop, wearing a really low cut top... Charlie Sheen's character comments on that once or twice..............

What's everyone's favorite solution for converting recorded MPGs (such as the recorded output from BeyondTV) into a DVD? I'm ready to give up on Nero. It can't seem to edit MPGs without crashing (or should I say it edits, but crashes when attempting to save the result?)

I'm trying a trial version of VideoReDo now, and it looks promising. What do YOU all like?
Thanks for your reply, Joe Clark. Anyone else have advice?

Assuming the MPEGs were already DVD compatible (such as those from my ReplayTV used to be), I use VideoReDo for editing out commercials, then GUI for DVDAuthor (freeware) for doing the actual disc authoring.

Assuming the MPEGs were already DVD compatible (such as those from my ReplayTV used to be), I use VideoReDo for editing out commercials, then GUI for DVDAuthor (freeware) for doing the actual disc authoring.
Thanks, Bob. The trial version of VideoReDo I have can make the DVDs directly. I think it offered to make a menu, but I opted out since there was only one stream on the disk anyway.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, I only have VideoReDo Plus (editing only) as opposed to the VideoReDo Studio (or whatever the newer version with DVD authoring built in is called).

I recently received a DCH3416 DVR from Charter. I have another DVR which is a Moxibox. The Moxibox is able to skip forward and backward at 15 minute intervals. I can't seem to locate a similar function on the 3416. Does anyone have a suggestion? Thanks.

I recently received a DCH3416 DVR from Charter. I have another DVR which is a Moxibox. The Moxibox is able to skip forward and backward at 15 minute intervals. I can't seem to locate a similar function on the 3416. Does anyone have a suggestion? Thanks.
I'm going from memory, but I think it is FF-Right → for +15min, and REW-Left ← for -15min. Not sure :confused:
Try that.

WOW!! No new posts in over 2 days! Everyone must be ill.

That won't work. Does anyone know if the 3416 will skip ahead or back more than 30 seconds?

WOW!! No new posts in over 2 days! Everyone must be ill.

We're all trying to keep from drowning. :D

WOW!! No new posts in over 2 days! Everyone must be ill.

My Internet connection apparently floated away last night. Came home from work to find it dead as a doornail (thanks Charter).........

Didn't come back til this morning. Oddly enough, the phone connection (which comes through the same lines) was fine throughout.

My Internet connection apparently floated away last night. Came home from work to find it dead as a doornail (thanks Charter).........

Didn't come back til this morning. Oddly enough, the phone connection (which comes through the same lines) was fine throughout.
I had the same problem last night and on thursday. What was strange was that I could access some sites such as hotmail and work email, but that was it. I shouldn't complain too much, charter internet has been stable for the few years I had it.

KSDK not going to show The Players due to a Cardinals game. Anyone else upset about this? They will move to tournament to channel 46 which sucks hard. Last time KSDK did that the golf was not in HD eventhough it would have been on NBC. Will todays Players Championship be in HD on 46-1?

Scott

KSDK not going to show The Players due to a Cardinals game. Anyone else upset about this? They will move to tournament to channel 46 which sucks hard. Last time KSDK did that the golf was not in HD eventhough it would have been on NBC. Will todays Players Championship be in HD on 46-1?

ScottScott, sorry to hear that you're getting squeezed out, and far be it for me to defend kSDk, but I think they are delivering what the majority wants in the local market. Then again, station management knew about this sort of inherent conflict when they bid for part of the Cardinals package and they still haven't done a very good job in addressing that for those who would prefer golf or racing or whatever the national feed would normally provide.

Maybe the best way to look at this is that even if the Cardinals weren't pre-empting golf, the odds that the HD switch would be flipped by the snoozers in kSDk engineering are still a pretty meager 70/30.

As for HD on WRBU, I don't think they have inked the capexes that would increase the number of hamsters powering the transmitter flywheel. HD seems a very long way off for that station.

My Internet connection apparently floated away last night. Came home from work to find it dead as a doornail (thanks Charter).........

Didn't come back til this morning. Oddly enough, the phone connection (which comes through the same lines) was fine throughout.FWIW, my Pipeline service, after roughly 5 months of being completely trouble-free, has had a lot of hiccups lately. The main thing I've noticed over the past 3 or 4 days is a serious slowdown when accessing web sites. If I reboot my router and the cable modem, they come back at full speed. And last night, I had an outage that appeared to carry on for around 2 hours, though it was back before midnight.

Speaking of the internet.... anyone in the O'Fallon or St. Charles area with Centurytel DSL able to get a full 10Mbps yet? I had them drop me down to 6Mbps back in the fall for stability reasons and haven't had any issues, but would love to get 10Mbps since there's no price difference and that's what I actually signed up for.

That won't work. Does anyone know if the 3416 will skip ahead or back more than 30 seconds?

I think you need a 3rd party remote (like a Harmony) to add skip features for this DVR.

Speaking of the internet.... anyone in the O'Fallon or St. Charles area with Centurytel DSL able to get a full 10Mbps yet? I had them drop me down to 6Mbps back in the fall for stability reasons and haven't had any issues, but would love to get 10Mbps since there's no price difference and that's what I actually signed up for.

Jon, I'm still at 6M, too.

Mike

KSDK not going to show The Players due to a Cardinals game. Anyone else upset about this? They will move to tournament to channel 46 which sucks hard. Last time KSDK did that the golf was not in HD eventhough it would have been on NBC. Will todays Players Championship be in HD on 46-1?

Scott
Scott, I feel your pain. KSDK moved a NHL playoff game to 46-1 to make room for a Cardinals game. I emailed KSDK programming to just ask if there was another network they could offer the NHL game, since 46 is impossible for me to receive (and difficult for others). I never got a reply.:rolleyes:

Just to see if 1080i ATSC broadcasts make decent homemade BluRay discs, I took last night's Two and a Half Men (I don't normally watch that show but this episode was a CSI parody) and made a BluRay on a plain ol' DVD-R with it.

Catch is, 29.97fps 1080i is NOT included in the spec for BluRay... it allows for 1080p 24fps or 59.94fps, but no 1080i. So with that in mind, I used a crappy generic DVD-R disc for the test.

PowerDVD played my out-of-spec 1080i homemade BluRay disc mostly without incident. Looked and sounded great, though it did freeze and lock up a few seconds before the end credits would have started. Don't know whether that was from the 1080i being out of spec, or just from the cheesy no-name blank DVD-R that I used.

Gonna try it on our display model 301 BluRay player at work tomorrow (briefly, since Two and a Half Men ain't exactly a family show).



Did you get a chance to try it on the 301? I need a new DVD drive which led me to looking at the LG HD/Blu combo @ $170 then I saw the LG Blu writer for another $100. I think I'm at least going to get the reader. What are your thoughts on the writer?

Dave

Yep, played it on the Sony standalone 301 player at work. Even though 1080i@29.97fps isn't part of the official BluRay spec, the Two and a Half Men episode played fine on it without any reencoding on my part first.

It skipped in a few places, but I think that's more due to the cheesy generic blank DVD-R I used rather than any incompatibility of the 1080i video.

Personally, I'm holding off on any BluRay writers 'til they (and the blank discs) get cheaper. I spent $400 on my first DVD-RW drive (2x speed, couldn't do DVD+R discs), and I'm not doing that again. Especially considering blank BluRay discs are still $15+.

The LiteOn BD-ROM drive (plays but doesn't burn BluRays) will suit me fine for a few more years.

Oh, forgot to mention....

For all the stories I hear from people looking at DirecTV at work, "Don't you lose the picture when it rains?", etc....

Last night while the wind and rain were hot and heavy, and as I mentioned earlier, my Charter Internet service went dead for the whole evening and didn't come back 'til this morning.....

My DirecTV signal was rock solid throughout the storm!

Funny, I have two E* DVR's with the same software getting their sat signals from a common dish. The 622 was rock solid all night while the 722 kept blanking out, freezing up and even rebooting a few times.

Go figure.......(?)

Speaking of the internet.... anyone in the O'Fallon or St. Charles area with Centurytel DSL able to get a full 10Mbps yet? I had them drop me down to 6Mbps back in the fall for stability reasons and haven't had any issues, but would love to get 10Mbps since there's no price difference and that's what I actually signed up for.

I was placed back on 10meg in the middle of Feb. The speed is consistent and the "lock ups" no longer occur. I have had issues with disconnects during thunderstorms, soon after the storm is out of the area everything is fine again.

So far the techs have done very little to try and resolve the problem. The latest trouble call I placed on the phone side, as I noticed considerable static on my line when lightning is visible.

Here's a list of new HD channels that Dish Network is supposed to add. The first 20 are supposed to be up today.

ABC Family HD; Biography HD; Bravo HD; Cartoon Network HD; Cinemax 5 Star HD; Cinemax HD West; CNBC HD; CNN HD; Disney HD East; ESPNews HD; Hallmark Movie Channel HD; MGM HD; Sci-fi Channel HD; Smithsonian HD; Tennis Channel HD; Toon Disney HD; Travel Channel HD; USA Network HD; Weather Channel HD; and World Fishing Network HD.

Dish Network says it will also add Comcast Sports Network Bay Area HD and Comcast Sports Network New England HD on Wednesday, May 14.

I don't see these stations yet, but according to Swanni, they're supposed to be up today. CNN HD, USA and SciFi have been up for some time now.

Looks like I can switch to the HD only package with this set of new additions. I have been waiting for some cartoon channels for the youngest son.

Lately the new channels have been turned on between 11-1:30 our time.

Now up to the roof to replace a few shingles...:mad:

Does anyone have a soda dispenser in home? I may be picking one up shortly and was wondering the best place/places to pickup the bag in box syrups? I will be needing a combination of Pepsi/Coke products most likely. My wife thinks the Sam's she works at sells Coke only...Thanks!

The next 7 Cards games will be in HD.
6 on FSNMW
1 on KSDK

Full HD Schedule HERE (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13409311#post13409311)
Google HD Schedule HERE (http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=NWI5YzA0aHM0YnN2b2dwMnRiaXZyODVnNzhAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW 5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ)

Here's to hoping the Pad's go on a 4 game win streak :D

Here is the corresponding mapped-down channel assignments. All channels are live as of this posting.
ABC Family HD-180; Biography HD-119; Bravo HD-129; Cartoon Network HD-176; Cinemax 5 Star HD-314; Cinemax HD West-311; CNBC HD-208; CNN HD-200; Disney HD East-172; ESPNews HD-142; Hallmark Movie Channel HD-187; MGM HD-385*; Sci-fi Channel HD-122; Smithsonian HD-374*; Tennis Channel HD-400*; Toon Disney HD (TDIS)-174; Travel Channel HD-215; USA Network HD-105; Weather Channel HD-214; and World Fishing Network HD-394*.
*not mapped

I think somebody needs a hug...

The following headline appeared at DSL Reports today, following Charter's release of its 1Q financial results:
_____________________________________________________

Charter Sucks Slightly Less (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Charter-Sucks-Slightly-Less-94336?nocomment=1)

Charter Communications is traditionally considered the black sheep of this industry, thanks to a massive debt load and consistently poor customer service. Still, their latest quarterly earnings hint at a slight financial improvement at the company. Their quarterly net loss shrank to $358 million from $381 million a year ago, with sales jumping 10.5% to $1.56 billion (85,700 new broadband customers on the quarter). I'm thinking that any company that can convince someone to pay $70,000 for potentially just a few years of broadband service, should have the skill set to correct their financial misfortunes -- but bankruptcy or company sale rumors usually pop up twice a year or so.
_____________________________________________________

Is anyone else having problems with reception on channel 9.?
I saw on the FCC web site that they are in the process of raising the height
of their transmitter and boosting their power.
I'm hoping that they are working on that now so that
my reception will improve.

i watched bbc world news this morning and it was fine.

fwiw, i'm about 32-ish miles away...

Is anyone else having problems with reception on channel 9.?Fine in the CWE at 13 miles.

Dish giveth and Dish taketh away - Voom, Voom, Voom. (http://www.tvpredictions.com/dishvoom051308.htm)

Actually, the Voom channels that were dropped were ones I never watched (except for the occasional Gallery program). It's a pretty good trade for me.

I really like Monsters HD and Kung-Fu HD, I hope they keep these running. Rumor has it that all of the Voom channels will be gone.

Story (http://consumerist.com/5008801/charter-to-begin-tracking-users-searches-and-inserting-targeted-ads)

Slashdot story (http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/05/13/1832256)

eyezen,

Thank you for posting this.

Where does the boycott letter start? I encourage everyone to read the customer letter, as well as the comments. The observation that rings truest for me is this one:
________________________________________________

A very thoughtful letter which has been sent to someone who surely has no idea what the customer is talking about.

Further, one can assume that since Charter executives approved this plan, they also had ill-considered the implications and impact on its customers.

Finally, somewhere within Charter there surely was an engineer who dutifully communicated the many problems with the plan, only to be completely ignored.

Does that sound about right?
________________________________________________

U-Verse availability cannot arrive too soon for me. Though it wouldn't be beyond AT&T to eventually do the same.

One question for those who understand this networking stuff: Is going through OpenDNS instead of the default Charter servers a way to get around this, or is this "insertion" happening downstream of that process?

Personally, I could care less if they want to track my viewing habits/activities.
I ignore the advertisements, and I really don't give a rats ass who knows what I do on the Internet.

Some may feel this is a lackadaisical attitude towards privacy, but technology is, what technology is, and what it will become, 10 years hence. The reality is, every year, the ability increases 10-fold, and the sustainability of objectionable minimally organized groups will not defeat the massive economic engines of the world.

Even if, enough objection could be amassed for Charter to submits, they would simply implement a Plan-B workaround, and so it goes.

Accepting defeat too easy? Perhaps so. Pick and choose your battles, and never take on one, you cannot win.

mho.

kdg,

I understand your overall outlook on privacy and you may be right.

But I also think Charter is way too vulnerable to subscriber action. This is the sort of business move you make from a position of strength, not when you're on the ropes, oozing blood. Classic Charter.

Although it looks like this is being phased in by market (and you would think they'd pick an initial market with the smallest competitive risk), I seriously doubt the near-term, bottom-line gain is anywhere near the near-term risk. Hit them quick and hit them hard with disconnects, and they'll back off, or at the very least make this opt-in.

The Charter story seems to be getting a lot of coverage in the tech press -- and none of it is positive.

Here's an item that reflects the trend:
_______________________________________________________

Charter Tries Convincing Users That Selling Your Clickstream Data Is Enhancing Your Online Experience (http://techdirt.com/articles/20080513/1040341101.shtml)

from Techdirt by Michael Masnick

There's been plenty of controversy over ISPs using companies like Phorm and NebuAd to effectively sell your clickstream data to advertisers by inserting "more targeted" advertising into your regular surfing. If you haven't been following the controversy, these systems work by watching everything you surf online at the ISP level, and compiling a profile in order to serve ads on other pages. In other words, if you surf a website about golf, your ISP records this and then when you're later reading technology news, the ISP may inject an advertisement about golf. Beyond questions raised over the legality of such things, there are many questions raised concerning how such systems violate privacy. There have been calls to make sure that these types of solutions are opt-in only. In the meantime, ISPs that are adopting these solutions are trying to present them in the best possible light. Witness cable broadband provider Charter, who is pitching its use of NebuAd as a way to bring you its "enhanced online experience." Charter, which is setting this up as a opt-out solution, rather than an opt-in solution, sent an email to its subscribers, talking up all the wonderful "enhancements," brushing over the fact that it's basically exposing all of your surfing history to advertisers, and inserting its own ads into your experience. I'm not sure most users would actually consider that to be "enhanced."
_______________________________________________________

kdg,

I understand your overall outlook on privacy and you may be right.

But I also think Charter is way too vulnerable to subscriber action. This is the sort of business move you make from a position of strength, not when you're on the ropes, oozing blood. Classic Charter.

Although it looks like this is being phased in by market (and you would think they'd pick an initial market with the smallest competitive risk), I seriously doubt the near-term, bottom-line gain is anywhere near the near-term risk. Hit them quick and hit them hard with disconnects, and they'll back off, or at the very least make this opt-in.
I concur, and it surely would not be "un-Charter-like" to be completely oblivious, if not outright clueless to the reality of any issue. I agree of Charter's vulnerability to subscriber action, but recognition of such vulnerability...well, key-word..."recognition."

Time and time again, Charter has demonstrated a complete disregard of anything that comes close to, being even close to, any sense of logic.

Perhaps this is why Charter is an excellent example of optimizing profitability in business :D

I, like you, am just hopeful an alternative becomes available sometime before Humpty falls. Presently it's Charter, satellite, or dial-up, neither of the two latter being viable options for me.

Dish removed the last of the Voom channels today, and barring an unlikely court intervention, they appear to be gone for good. I really liked a few of the Voom channels in the past, but the lack of new programming has meant that I've watched less and less recently. I'll still miss a couple of them.

Despite the loss, I'm happy with the rhetoric that's coming from all quarters about providers seeing the need for more HD programming. More and more now I feel the need to utilize the 4 favorites guides within the Dish menu. I'm going to start categorizing the choices more - movies, sports, news and education, locals, rather than one large HD category.

I've noticed a lot more of those "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" commercials lately. I have to admit that when I first saw this campaign kick in I didn't care for them. Lately, though, I've just started enjoying them for their entertainment value. They're a hoot and a half - loved the one where PC is a country western singer.

Here's (http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=447&tag=nl.e539)an article that to me seems related (although it doesn't mention the Mac at all). It addresses the driver issues that are largely responsible for Windows Vista image problems.

Along those lines, I have to report that my efforts at running a Mac on my PC have gone pretty well. I now have a PC based Mac that runs Mac programs faster than all but the most expensive Macs - on a budget Intel dual-core E4300 CPU overclocked to 3 GHZ. That means I've started looking a little more seriously for Mac software and hardware than I have for over 3 years. After all this, however, my feelings about the Mac and PC haven't changed much at all.

The Mac out-of-the-box experience may be a little friendlier for some people (still not completely convinced that's true in general), but the higher costs and more limited hardware and software don't make it a better buy for me. Also, as someone who pushes computer hardware with taxing video and audio duties, I see nothing to suggest that the Mac is much better than the PC in that regard. I've seen Mac's crumple when more serious video and audio hardware are added. I've seen Mac friends mumbling under their breath about how Leopard 10.5.2 drivers break their everyday hardware and software workflow.

To get back on point a little more, if I were to tell a friend who wanted to get into multi-media computing what to buy, I'd still recommend a PC. If you're masochistic enough to want to subject yourself to using a computer to capture HD programming from our local Fox affiliate or from Dish Network, your best bet, IMO, is a PC. You'll have more choices in both hardware and software than you will with a Mac, and you'll spend less money. No matter which platform you choose, you can expect to have more hassles using a computer than a dedicated set-top box (satellite dish, DVD player, etc.). As much as I like those "I'm a Mac" commercials, I still feel that computers are far from being as easy to use as they should be. That said, I've helped a lot of non-computer friends set up and learn to use PC hardware for video. It's a whole lot easier than it used to be. Maybe the easiest to use of all the PC devices out of the box for me has been MyHD, for capturing OTA programs. It's a little long in the tooth, but it's still a great card.

Never tried the MyHD, so my nod for the easiest HD tuning solution would be the SiliconDust HDHomeRun and plain ol' Windows Media Center (though Microsoft did lose a few points with its KMOV issue a month or so ago).

For that matter, the HDHomeRun also works really well with the v1.0RC of MediaPortal (in my old HTPC that doesn't have Windows Media Center). At least for live TV, haven't tried actually recording anything.

On a totally unrelated note, I'm guessing the SP1 for Windows Vista includes some improvements to Media Center... I can play my 1080p Battlestar Galactica H.264 TS files in Media Center now... previously I had to exit Media Center and play them in PowerDVD to avoid stuttering and sync issues. I suspect Media Center is now using my HD2600XT's hardware decoding, while pre-SP1 it was making the CPU do all the work.

SP1 did NOT fix my weird aspect ratio issue... in Media Center those H.264 TS files and x264 MKV files play in a 4x3 aspect ratio. Workaround is to pause the file, minimize Media Center, restore Media Center to full screen, and unpause the file. File then plays in correct 16x9 ratio. But I have to do that every time I play an x264/H.264 file. There are other folks in the Home Theater Computers area here with the same problem, but no solution other than the clunky workaround I just mentioned.

The official word from Dish remains that only 750GB drives are supported for the 622/722. However, today I picked up a WD 1TB drive at Costco and I can report that it works just fine in my 622. As a matter of fact, it works a lot better than the 750GB drive that is almost full. I was having trouble with fast forward, rewind, etc. not working well on the 750. The 1TB drive works much more smoothly. I may have a faulty 750. You can pick up the 1TB drive at Costco for $230, a pretty good price at this time.

The official word from Dish remains that only 750GB drives are supported for the 622/722. However, today I picked up a WD 1TB drive at Costco and I can report that it works just fine in my 622. As a matter of fact, it works a lot better than the 750GB drive that is almost full. I was having trouble with fast forward, rewind, etc. not working well on the 750. The 1TB drive works much more smoothly. I may have a faulty 750. You can pick up the 1TB drive at Costco for $230, a pretty good price at this time.
Good to know Joe, guess the theory is correct.
You may want to post this over on DBSTalk, there will be many interested to know this.

Would you mind posting it? Gotta run and can't find my password for that site right now.

There's some bad news for Vizio owners out there in this article (http://www.tvpredictions.com/sonyvizio051508.htm), quoting a Sony exec, who says Vizio sets are "semi non-HD." What a searing indictment of Vizio by Sony. It's probably certain that I'll remember that comment the next time I don't not go shopping for a new TV.

He also says that people seeking superior quality will buy Sony. How many here think Sony has "superior" quality? I've read the horror stories and know people with green blobs and people with yellow blobs. I also know of people with mis-converged panels by as much as 4 to 6 pixels. People on this forum sending their Pearl back 2 and 3 times before they can get one they can stand watching. Sony has finally admitted these problems in their SXRD units and has instituted a repair or replace policey.

My grandson got a PS3 for Christmas. I didn't work. It only took Sony 2 months to replace it with a used scratched piece of junk. At least it works......somewhat. The HDMI output has some issues with banding. He has to use Component. No 1080P on Component. He doesn't want to send it in again.

I think Sony has just about destroyed their reputation with those who truely shop for their toys. Joe sixpack will soon follow.

Walt

He also says that people seeking superior quality will buy Sony. How many here think Sony has "superior" quality? I've read the horror stories and know people with green blobs and people with yellow blobs. I also know of people with mis-converged panels by as much as 4 to 6 pixels. People on this forum sending their Pearl back 2 and 3 times before they can get one they can stand watching. Sony has finally admitted these problems in their SXRD units and has instituted a repair or replace policey.

My grandson got a PS3 for Christmas. I didn't work. It only took Sony 2 months to replace it with a used scratched piece of junk. At least it works......somewhat. The HDMI output has some issues with banding. He has to use Component. No 1080P on Component. He doesn't want to send it in again.

I think Sony has just about destroyed their reputation with those who truely shop for their toys. Joe sixpack will soon follow.

Walt

Just as counterpoint,
I have a SXRD RP 60" that is beautiful with no green blob or any other issue. I also have a 60gb ps3 that has worked flawlessly for the last year and almost a half. I have heard the horror stories, but haven't heard any with the newer SXRD's. I don't deny sony has problems(rootkit amongst others), but there are people that don't have any problem at all.(like me:))
Dug

"How many here think Sony has "superior" quality?"

I do for one. I have purchased Sony equipment for years and have never had any trouble with their products. I consider Sony to be one of the best consumer grade electronics manufacturers out there and would not hesitate to buy again. You can find absolute horror stories about ANY product and ANY manufacturer both from a customer service and product reliability standpoint. Moreover it is impossible to extrapolate any kind of conclusion about a manufacturer or its products from anecdotal reports on the internet. In the end only your personal experience counts for you.

I wasn't blasting Sony for its products. Of course, there are countless anecdotal stories to be found concerning any manufacturer. What I thought was ludicrous was this Sony exec's spin on Vizio. I've never owned a Vizio product, so I have no first hand experience with any of their products. I do have several Sony products, including a Play Station 3, which has been a great Blu-ray player in the relatively short period I've owned it. I also have a Sony HD camcorder, which has been rock solid.

I like to research products I buy, reading a LOT of reviews. That way, I can usually get a sense of what real users think. Almost always, you'll find negative things about good products. It's the volume of posts that can be a pointer as to the value.

I hate corporate spin and I always consume commercials with lots of salt. The "semi non-HD" comment struck me as particularly Bushistic. The Mac and PC commercials I've grown to appreciate because they're so funny. As for their message, though, please pass the salt.

If, like me, you don't particularly care for installing Windows, here's (http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=1848&tag=nl.e539) an article on slipstreaming Windows XP Service Pack 3 into a Windows XP install CD. It trimmed quite a bit of time off my install of XP on my sister's computer. Parts of the software for this process allow you to slipstream drivers and other components, too. This, along with a copy of Acronis TrueImage, makes computing a little easier to bear.

The next time I need to reinstall XP, not only will I be slipstreaming SP3, I'll also be slipstreaming Firefox, Thunderbird, VirtualDub, Audacity, DVDFab Decrypter, utorrent, Java, Imgburn, and several others.... courtesy of http://www.winaddons.com

The next time I need to reinstall XP, not only will I be slipstreaming SP3, I'll also be slipstreaming Firefox, Thunderbird, VirtualDub, Audacity, DVDFab Decrypter, utorrent, Java, Imgburn, and several others.... courtesy of http://www.winaddons.com
Just be sure that you build the slipstream on an XP machine. Build it on Vista and it goes all wonky.

Rant on:mad:

I'm sorry but my feelings for Sony are from experience. Maybe not personal (I quit buying overpriced, no service Sony products years ago) but is induced by watching people close to me struggle with their junk. It seems that of the video products that my family and aquaintences purchase, Sony seems to have the most failures. One PS3, broken. Two SXRD RPs blobs. One Pearl mis-convergence. Of the 5 Sony products owned by my circle of friends, only 1 has been trouble free. A 4 year old RP CRT.

Six Mits, 1 failure on a 6 year old set. Of the others 1 is new and the rest are several years old. One Toshiba RP that is 12 years old and still throws one of the best pictures I have seen. One 2 year old Sanyo HD CRT. I have only listed some of the HD or HD ready products.

It just seems that the ratio of failure to product quantity is the worst for Sony. I realize that there are "I hate everything" blogs. You can see it on this forum.

BTW I forgot about Rootkit, and we complain about Charter.

My daughter has a 2 year old Visio LCD. No problems but, in Sony's words, it is an inferior 720P product. I am waiting to see how reliable the 2 46" flat panel Scepters she bought from Costco hold up. At $2600.00 delivered with mounts, she thought it was a good buy.

If you have good luck with their products continue to buy. In fact if you have bad luck with their products I won't mind if you continue to buy.:D

Rant off:)

Walt

Just be sure that you build the slipstream on an XP machine. Build it on Vista and it goes all wonky.

I think I read somewhere that slip streaming doesn't work on a Dell. That could be just the twisted rememberer of an old man.

Walt

Sony is a joke. I will likely never buy one of their products as long as I live. I sold consumer electronics for far too many years, so I know better.

Scott

Anyone else having a problem with KSDK audio this morning? The Dolby Digital is down and the sound level is very low. It's the same via dishnet and OTA.

I just got a new AV receiver last week so I want to make sure it's not just me.

Sony is a joke. I will likely never buy one of their products as long as I live. I sold consumer electronics for far too many years, so I know better.

Scott

I own a Sony CD burner...one of the ones that function like dual cassette deck. As far as burning cdr's (handy for copying records, cassette tapes and DVD concert films to disc) it's always worked fine.

However the "A" deck doesn't play CD's properly most of the time. It'll randomly skip around or even loop part of a song. Very annoying.

And years and years ago, back when I was still in high school, I owned a Sony 5 disc changer. Lasted maybe 6 months.

Sony is a joke. I will likely never buy one of their products as long as I live. I sold consumer electronics for far too many years, so I know better.

Scott

I feel the same about JVC. There are just some brands that people have bad luck with. I am sure there are people that love their JVC's, you'll just never see one in my house again.

Dug

It might be time to rethink my HTPC options. Microsoft has officially confirmed that Windows Media Center adheres to the FCC's Broadcast Flag, even though the Broadcast Flag was struck down by the courts three years ago. Microsoft adheres to it anyway!

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9946780-7.html?tag=nefd.riv

This story broke last week when PC owners' Media Centers wouldn't record American Gladiators. Unasked in any of the stories about that was "Why would anyone want to record American Gladiators in the first place?"

Anyway, the reason I'm mentioning this now is, the Broadcast Flag usage was confirmed by Microsoft today. We still don't (officially) know whether NBC's triggering of it was accidental or deliberate.

Anyone else having a problem with KSDK audio this morning? The Dolby Digital is down and the sound level is very low. It's the same via dishnet and OTA.

I just got a new AV receiver last week so I want to make sure it's not just me.
Yeah it was really low on DirecTV, had to turn volume up to like 40-50 to hear it good.

Anyone else having a problem with KSDK audio this morning? The Dolby Digital is down and the sound level is very low. It's the same via dishnet and OTA.

I just got a new AV receiver last week so I want to make sure it's not just me.

Relax, I noticed this too. It's what we've come to expect from the HD "Leader". They aren't known as kSDk for no reason, you know:D

I feel the same about JVC. There are just some brands that people have bad luck with. I am sure there are people that love their JVC's, you'll just never see one in my house again.

Dug

YMMV applies here. The folks I used to work with hated JVC because their pro products had so many problems they vowed never to use them again at the university. I had very few problems with the many JVC VHS/S-VHS machines I owned, so I continued to buy. Never regretted it. I've owned a few Sony products, too, without significant issues.

Here's (http://www.tvpredictions.com/pbsover051608.htm) an article on how well the "Over..." HD series on Blu-ray is doing at Costco. That's "Over America," "Over Chicago," etc. Anyone know if our local Costco's have this? I loved it on Voom.

It might be time to rethink my HTPC options. Microsoft has officially confirmed that Windows Media Center adheres to the FCC's Broadcast Flag, even though the Broadcast Flag was struck down by the courts three years ago. Microsoft adheres to it anyway!

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9946780-7.html?tag=nefd.riv

This story broke last week when PC owners' Media Centers wouldn't record American Gladiators. Unasked in any of the stories about that was "Why would anyone want to record American Gladiators in the first place?"

Anyway, the reason I'm mentioning this now is, the Broadcast Flag usage was confirmed by Microsoft today. We still don't (officially) know whether NBC's triggering of it was accidental or deliberate.

I've never used Media Center. Does it allow for playback of the rarer codec video files, such as the D* or E* versions of MPEG4?

Which flag did they apply - copy once, copy never?

Here's another article from TVPredictions (http://www.tvpredictions.com/fox051908.htm) that says Fox Sports Network will air its entire lineup in HD by the first quarter of 2009. That should mean we'll have all of the Cardinals games in HD next year.

YMMV applies here. The folks I used to work with hated JVC because their pro products had so many problems they vowed never to use them again at the university. I had very few problems with the many JVC VHS/S-VHS machines I owned, so I continued to buy. Never regretted it. I've owned a few Sony products, too, without significant issues.

This is exactly the reason I pay no attention what-so-ever to user reviews, user forums, and the like. You simply cannot tell anything about the quality, usability, functionality, etc. of a product from user's anecdotal reports. You don't know who these people are or if what they say is true. I pay some (but not much) attention to professional reviewers because kickbacks for good reviews can and do happen. I research as best I can and I have my personal brand preferences but I never pay attention to what someone else says about a product or company because people are people and they have agendas, biases, and axes to grind when they feel they've been wronged.

This is exactly the reason I pay no attention what-so-ever to user reviews, user forums, and the like. You simply cannot tell anything about the quality, usability, functionality, etc. of a product from user's anecdotal reports. You don't know who these people are or if what they say is true. I pay some (but not much) attention to professional reviewers because kickbacks for good reviews can and do happen. I research as best I can and I have my personal brand preferences but I never pay attention to what someone else says about a product or company because people are people and they have agendas, biases, and axes to grind when they feel they've been wronged.

Can't argue too much with that, I suppose, although I have found AVS to be a good guide because of the volume of posts. There are some people I've grown to respect because of what I see as unbiased reports from the past. The corollary is that I ignore completely some people's views because of posts that I view as boneheaded.

I've never used Media Center. Does it allow for playback of the rarer codec video files, such as the D* or E* versions of MPEG4?

Which flag did they apply - copy once, copy never?

Dunno... what extension does E* use in its MPEG-4 filenames? Far as I know, nobody's managed to archive an MPEG-4 *D HD broadcast, so no joy at all there.

People that tried to record American Gladiators from NBC got a message to the effect of "recording was canceled due to restrictions by the program provider" or something like that... so I assume it was "copy never."

Relax, I noticed this too. It's what we've come to expect from the HD "Leader". They aren't known as kSDk for no reason, you know:D

LOL!

Maybe they don't care because few are watching. Noticed in Saturday's Post in the list of top 20 shows in ratings for last week NBC had 0, yup, 0. :eek: Not a good sign. I'm not going to stand up for many of the viewing choices the people made, but I was surprised as many showings of the Law and Orders last week that one of them didn't make the top 20.

This is exactly the reason I pay no attention what-so-ever to user reviews, user forums, and the like. You simply cannot tell anything about the quality, usability, functionality, etc. of a product from user's anecdotal reports. You don't know who these people are or if what they say is true. I pay some (but not much) attention to professional reviewers because kickbacks for good reviews can and do happen. I research as best I can and I have my personal brand preferences but I never pay attention to what someone else says about a product or company because people are people and they have agendas, biases, and axes to grind when they feel they've been wronged.

I believe that you have to take the user comments with a large grain of salt since it seems more likely that a person with a problem will complain as opposed to a person who has no problems. Another issue is many people who write rave reviews tend to do it after owning the equipment for a few days. I do find them useful if a lot of people complain who seem to know what they are talking about.

Before I get off my soapbox, I've had to buy a number of appliances lately and I always tell the salesman what is being replaced and how long its been in service followed by asking how long will the thing I'm buying last. Everyone has said the product I buy won't last as long as the one I'm replacing. What ever happened to product reliability? Planned obsolescence just ticks me off! :mad:

Dunno... what extension does E* use in its MPEG-4 filenames? Far as I know, nobody's managed to archive an MPEG-4 *D HD broadcast, so no joy at all there.

People that tried to record American Gladiators from NBC got a message to the effect of "recording was canceled due to restrictions by the program provider" or something like that... so I assume it was "copy never."

My R5000 lets me archive MPEG4 programs from E* and gives them a .ts extension. Some of my normal computer playback software seems to have a problem playing them, but I've been able to archive them to DVD+R DL discs for playback on the Sony PS3. Those discs won't play back on some regular Blu-ray players, like Sharp and Samsung - one disc may play and another won't. The PS3 seems much more flexible than the set-tops, but I really miss HD DVD's much greater level of compatibility with regular DVD and DVD DL recordables.

The PS3 is a much faster Blu-ray player than the set-tops, too. It loads and plays discs much quicker than any set-top I've seen. One downside is that it doesn't come with a remote, and the one Sony makes for it is not infrared - it's Bluetooth. I had to buy an adapter to get the PS3 to work with my Harmony remote. Since it's one of the cheapest Blu-ray players, though, it still costs less than most set-tops. And so far, it's been the most upgradeable. Virtually all the advanced features of the messy Blu-ray spec have been added to the PS3, such as DTS HD Master Audio and Dolby True HD.

Got my LG HD-DVD/Blu Ray player last night. Loaded AnyDVD and ImgBurn and now I have disk based backups of my 3 HD-DVD movies (King Kong, Transformers and Superman Returns).

So far I'm impressed with how Blu/HD-DVD looks on my 22" WS monitor. I just have stereo audio, which cannot compare to the HD audio options on my PS3. My next step is to find an inexpensive HDMI video card which also handles LPCM audio.

Dave

My R5000 lets me archive MPEG4 programs from E* and gives them a .ts extension. Some of my normal computer playback software seems to have a problem playing them, but I've been able to archive them to DVD+R DL discs for playback on the Sony PS3. Those discs won't play back on some regular Blu-ray players, like Sharp and Samsung - one disc may play and another won't.

Is there any pattern to them, like streams from one channel play fairly well most of the time, but streams from another channel won't play at all?

Without waiting for your answer, I'll guess some channels broadcast a stream that's somewhat compatible with the BluRay spec (which is what the hardware decoding in newer video cards looks for), and some don't.....

Is there any pattern to them, like streams from one channel play fairly well most of the time, but streams from another channel won't play at all?

Without waiting for your answer, I'll guess some channels broadcast a stream that's somewhat compatible with the BluRay spec (which is what the hardware decoding in newer video cards looks for), and some don't.....

I really haven't done a lot of testing, but so far the PS3 plays everything, no matter the channel. Set-top Blu-ray players I've tested even less, but it's spotty as to what plays and what doesn't on a given player. Computer playback, ironically, is worse, with only a few of the streams playing on my most commonly used software (Nero and WMP). PowerDVD plays back more of the files, but I have all sorts of audio isssues. I haven't found the right combination of audio and video codecs for seamless, easy playback on the PC.

You know, I've always said the Harmony is my favorite remote control. That is until I saw this (http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZgrpZaE-mIU)remote system. Once I get another couple of friends, this is the system for me.

You know, I've always said the Harmony is my favorite remote control. That is until I saw this (http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZgrpZaE-mIU)remote system. Once I get another couple of friends, this is the system for me.
Once again, Joe Clark immortalizing the phrase, "too much time on your hands." :D

I really haven't done a lot of testing, but so far the PS3 plays everything, no matter the channel. Set-top Blu-ray players I've tested even less, but it's spotty as to what plays and what doesn't on a given player. Computer playback, ironically, is worse, with only a few of the streams playing on my most commonly used software (Nero and WMP). PowerDVD plays back more of the files, but I have all sorts of audio isssues. I haven't found the right combination of audio and video codecs for seamless, easy playback on the PC.

Vista Service Pack 1 seems to have done it for me. 1080p H.264 TS files play fine on my Windows Media Center now (previously I had to exit Media Center and fire up PowerDVD for those files to play), other than the clunky having to minimize it/restore it to play these files in their correct aspect ratio.

I'm gonna guess some of your files' levels are too high. For H.264, the BluRay spec calls for High Profile, Level 4.1. This is also what the ATI RadeonHD hardware decoding video cards require. I'm willing to bet your troublesome files are level 5.1 or even level "unrestricted."

There's a program available called IDC Changer that can change levels in H.264 files... at least mkv files, don't know if it works on TS files.

Once again, Joe Clark immortalizing the phrase, "too much time on your hands." :D

It seems pretty straight forward to me, Ken. My latest video project is much more interesting, though. My goal is to get the best color on my projector. So far, the most promising calibration technique takes about an hour and employs a beer bong. Colors are brilliant. Unfortunately, the projector seems to malfunction at a certain point and suddenly fades to black.

Vista Service Pack 1 seems to have done it for me. 1080p H.264 TS files play fine on my Windows Media Center now (previously I had to exit Media Center and fire up PowerDVD for those files to play), other than the clunky having to minimize it/restore it to play these files in their correct aspect ratio.

I'm gonna guess some of your files' levels are too high. For H.264, the BluRay spec calls for High Profile, Level 4.1. This is also what the ATI RadeonHD hardware decoding video cards require. I'm willing to bet your troublesome files are level 5.1 or even level "unrestricted."

There's a program available called IDC Changer that can change levels in H.264 files... at least mkv files, don't know if it works on TS files.

Thanks, Bob. Speaking of ATI, the new Radeon 4xxx series cards are due out about the middle of June. They're supposed to have support for 7.1 HD audio over HDMI. I'm going to be looking closely at those cards.

Regarding NBC's trigger of the Broadcast Flag last Monday, here's a note from Studio Briefing:

NBC has admitted that it made an "inadvertent error" when it blocked users of Windows Media Center software from recording episodes of American Gladiators and Medium last Monday. Users attempting to record the programs were informed that NBC had "prohibited recording of this program." In an interview with CNET News.com, an NBC spokeswoman said that the network had "addressed the problem." She did not disclose how the problem occurred to begin with.

Regarding NBC's trigger of the Broadcast Flag last Monday, here's a note from Studio Briefing:

NBC has admitted that it made an "inadvertent error" when it blocked users of Windows Media Center software from recording episodes of American Gladiators and Medium last Monday. Users attempting to record the programs were informed that NBC had "prohibited recording of this program." In an interview with CNET News.com, an NBC spokeswoman said that the network had "addressed the problem." She did not disclose how the problem occurred to begin with.

Maybe I shouldn't have shared my calibration technique with that NBC engineer. :o

No mention of the fact that a Missouri boy won American Idol last night? Thought that might be big news around here. I recorded the finale on both the OTA channel and the satellite HD channel on my Dish 622, so I'd be sure not to miss it. I did notice a softness in the satcast, but the biggest surprise was that David Archuleta won on the OTA tuner and David Cook won on the satcast. I wish the MPEG2 and the MPEG4 broadcasts didn't look so different. :confused:

but the biggest surprise was that David Archuleta won on the OTA tuner and David Cook won on the satcast. I wish the MPEG2 and the MPEG4 broadcasts didn't look so different. :confused:

I think that mpeg4 compression may a actually affect the space-time continuum thus resulting in different outcomes!
Just a thought:)

No mention of the fact that a Missouri boy won American Idol last night? Thought that might be big news around here. I recorded the finale on both the OTA channel and the satellite HD channel on my Dish 622, so I'd be sure not to miss it. I did notice a softness in the satcast, but the biggest surprise was that David Archuleta won on the OTA tuner and David Cook won on the satcast. I wish the MPEG2 and the MPEG4 broadcasts didn't look so different. :confused:Joe, based on your recent posts about your calibration experiments and the temporal distortions you're seeing on your various HD sources, I have just one question:

When you gonna stop bogarting and share? :cool:

"Beer Bong"
"Bogarting"

My goodness, what HD has done to you people!:eek:

"Beer Bong"
"Bogarting"

My goodness, what HD has done to you people!:eek:

Don't blame HD. My doctor says it's congenital. :D

I picked up the Over America Blu-ray disc at Costco in South County today - $10. They had a few Blu-ray titles sprinkled into their regular DVD's. The "Over..." series were among my favorites on Voom, including the "Over England/Germany/Italy/France/etc." (Don't know if the Over America is done by the same group that did Over Europe.) They're both very good at aerial videography. Sounds like it should be easy to do, but I've seen plenty of bad aerial material.

Here's a link (http://www.puffer.net/demoreel.htm) to an animation reel by one of my Webster students, Aaron Pfau, who has gone on to do quite well for himself in the animation industry. These were all films and projects he was involved with - from Titanic to King Kong and much, much more. I'm really proud of him. He's also one of the nicest guys you might want to meet.

I may have asked this question here before, but after the finale the other night I'd like to know if any of you are having the problems I'm having with the surround levels during American Idol? They're way too hot, to the point I lose the lyrics. I hate to adjust the levels for this one show, but it's almost a necessity. I don't experience this for anything else. David Cook's songs were particularly troublesome during the course of the season, since it seemed to me that the overpowering surrounds killed his vocals.

Anyone else find this to be the case?

I may have asked this question here before, but after the finale the other night I'd like to know if any of you are having the problems I'm having with the surround levels during American Idol? They're way too hot, to the point I lose the lyrics. I hate to adjust the levels for this one show, but it's almost a necessity. I don't experience this for anything else. David Cook's songs was particularly troublesome during the course of the season, since it seemed to me that the overpowering surrounds killed his vocals.

Anyone else find this to be the case?

I thought both this season and last that the levels on the center channel were too low, but I suppose it could be the way you described as well. I usually upped the center channel levels to compensate, and brought it back down after the show was over.

I thought both this season and last that the levels on the center channel were too low, but I suppose it could be the way you described as well. I usually upped the center channel levels to compensate, and brought it back down after the show was over.

I did that a few times, too. The mix still didn't sound right to me. I think they just don't know how to mix live on that show.

Hi Guys,

If anyone has a used GPS for sale, please PM me. I don't know much about them. I need one that has voice guidance and easy to enter addresses. A decent sized screen would be nice too. I know the prices have really come down on them but I need something very reasonable now.

If no one does, I am open to opinions on which units to steer clear of and which ones are good in the bargain range.

Thanks!

Mo

I may have asked this question here before, but after the finale the other night I'd like to know if any of you are having the problems I'm having with the surround levels during American Idol? They're way too hot, to the point I lose the lyrics. I hate to adjust the levels for this one show, but it's almost a necessity. I don't experience this for anything else. David Cook's songs was particularly troublesome during the course of the season, since it seemed to me that the overpowering surrounds killed his vocals.

Anyone else find this to be the case?
I thought the shows from the Nokia Theatre were especially poor. AI has always had sound mixing issues.

Hi Guys,

If anyone has a used GPS for sale, please PM me. I don't know much about them. I need one that has voice guidance and easy to enter addresses. A decent sized screen would be nice too. I know the prices have really come down on them but I need something very reasonable now.

If no one does, I am open to opinions on which units to steer clear of and which ones are good in the bargain range.

Thanks!

Mo

I have the Garmin Nuvi 350 - sounds like it might be what you're looking for. It's really easy to use and the reviews I read were all very positive. I got it at Best Buy, but I've seen it and similar Nuvi models at places like Newegg and Tiger Direct for much less money since then. The voice navigation works really well and entering addresses is straight forward. There are wider screen models in the Nuvi series, too.

I have the Garmin Nuvi 350 - sounds like it might be what you're looking for. It's really easy to use and the reviews I read were all very positive. I got it at Best Buy, but I've seen it and similar Nuvi models at places like Newegg and Tiger Direct for much less money since then. The voice navigation works really well and entering addresses is straight forward. There are wider screen models in the Nuvi series, too.

Thanks for the info Joe.

I am hoping someone has one. Not much traffic here this weekend so I may post again next week.

I may have asked this question here before, but after the finale the other night I'd like to know if any of you are having the problems I'm having with the surround levels during American Idol? They're way too hot, to the point I lose the lyrics. I hate to adjust the levels for this one show, but it's almost a necessity. I don't experience this for anything else. David Cook's songs were particularly troublesome during the course of the season, since it seemed to me that the overpowering surrounds killed his vocals.

Anyone else find this to be the case?

I noticed this too. It almost seems like the producers tried to enhance the hysteria of the crowd. (OK, I get it...they are all pumped up!)

But then again, I find little consistency from channel to channel or show to show for that matter. This ranges from a hole in the center on Leno (thank you Channel 5) to almost everything coming thru the center channel. Sometimes I think it's just my bad ears, but as soon as I adjust to taste, the next show is usually off.

I am open to opinions on which units to steer clear of and which ones are good in the bargain range.
I have seen the Garmin NUVI 200 for $100, $120 and $170 in different stores. Look in this weekend's newspaper ad inserts. It does not announce street names, but says "Turn right in one quarter mile" etc.

Garmin is a top name. You will find others for less, but the NUVI 200 certainly works well.

Not much traffic here this weekend so I may post again next week.
If you can afford to wait a whole week, there is always eBay (http://search.*********/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=garmin+nuvi+200&category0=).

AAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Censored my URL again. You know the drill. Surf to *Bay and search for Garmin Nuvi 200. Under $100, free shipping.

Hi Guys,

If anyone has a used GPS for sale, please PM me. I don't know much about them. I need one that has voice guidance and easy to enter addresses. A decent sized screen would be nice too. I know the prices have really come down on them but I need something very reasonable now.

If no one does, I am open to opinions on which units to steer clear of and which ones are good in the bargain range.

Thanks!

Mo

I got a Garmin Nuvi 260W last month at Best Buy, and it has already dropped $50 in last weeks Sunday ads (to $299.) It has text-to speech and is wide-screen. Got me to Nashville and all around town great during my week there.

Hey, Mo. Radio Shack (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3089540&siteID=lw9MynSeamY-pPlTfwxnUpd4jLKmbO1Khw) has the TomTom One 3rd Edition GPS for $100. It has turn by turn voice instructions. I know some people who own and like the TT.

I found this at Slickdeals.net (http://slickdeals.net/), which is the source of some very good deals. Today they have a Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote for $108, a Seagate FreeAgent 500GB External USB 2.0 Hard Drive for $90 and a Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Remote for $50. They have deals like this every day and it's one of 2 places I usually visit for bargain hunting. The other is Woot. (http://www.woot.com/)

All you local Sci-Fi buffs here take note...

The new remake of The Andromeda Strain starts on A&E HD tonight at 8PM.

And check your DVR's because part 2 plays Tuesday night, also at 8PM...

But they're apparently repeating part 1 at 6PM Tuesday, and the HR20 program guide just lists the whole four hours as one big movie (and would NOT have recorded part 2 without manual intervention from me).

A quick word about ebay...many sellers (including myself) are currently boycotting ebay because of its recent fee increases, feedback rule changes, PayPal 21 day holds, and the way it's been treating sellers in general.

I've moved my DVD selling to Amazon for the time being (Note to mods, I've not posted a link so this is not self-promotion). Haven't figured out what I'm gonna do with the other types of stuff I'd been selling on ebay over the years. :( Open to suggestions where to go with my old LaserDiscs, PC parts, and comic books............

Hi Guys,

If anyone has a used GPS for sale, please PM me. I don't know much about them. I need one that has voice guidance and easy to enter addresses. A decent sized screen would be nice too. I know the prices have really come down on them but I need something very reasonable now.

If no one does, I am open to opinions on which units to steer clear of and which ones are good in the bargain range.

Thanks!

Mo
We bought a Garmin C330(IIRC) on black friday for under $100. It works well, but we were just in Memphis and some of the streets weren't on our maps and it costs about $70 to update garmin maps, some of the others are free updates. Just a heads up.

Today I bought a Samsung 32" 1080p monitor from Best Buy - the LN32-A550. I wanted a smallish HDTV monitor for the bedroom that would fit into my computer hutch - a very tight fit even for a 32" display. My goal was to have a situation in which I could switch seamlessly between my Sharp XV-Z20000 1080p projector and my main computer monitor (at a straight 1920x1080 resolution) with my home theater PC's. The Samsung has a native resolution of 1920x1080, with 3 HDMI inputs. The manual states that when hooking up the monitor to a PC, 1920x1080 is the optimum resolution. So, here's the problem: the monitor scales the native 1920x1080 computer input so that the actual image inhabits a windowbox within the LCD panel's full area. It's a small windowbox, but it renders fine text very difficult to see at that high a resolution. My Sharp projector has no problem with displaying an HDMI computer input pixel for pixel on its screen.

So, I took the Samsung back and asked if they would hook up the new Sony XBR6 32" HDTV to a computer outputting 1920x1080. If it worked the way I wanted it to, I'd just switch. The Sony placed the image into an even larger windowbox of its native 1920x1080 screen. There was no way in the menus of overriding the HDTV scaling on either the Samsung or the Sony. So much for convergence.

Is anyone here aware of a small 1920x1080 monitor (30-32" range) that will map computer pixels 1:1 onto its display area? Keep in mind that I'm thinking of replacing a Dell 24" monitor that does native 1920x1200. The problem with this monitor is that it scales an incoming DVI 1920x1080 signal up to full screen, thus stretching things vertically (taller, skinnier people). There's no way to override that on the Dell, just as there is no way to override the downscaling on the Samsung and Sony I looked at today.

I'm open to suggestions, although I'd prefer an HDTV with multiple inputs (s-video, component, HDMI). Anyone?

No joy for ya here, Joe. All the 32" TV's at Costco are 720p.

Until the last couple of weeks, Samsung was about the only choice. Now I know that the new Samsung and the new Sony don't do 1080p computer resolutions properly. I'm probably better off just sticking with the Dell and living with a slightly vertically stretched display. It does scale cleanly.

Ebay fees have been too high for a whilat took you so long to boycott them?

All you local Sci-Fi buffs here take note...

The new remake of The Andromeda Strain starts on A&E HD tonight at 8PM.

And check your DVR's because part 2 plays Tuesday night, also at 8PM...

But they're apparently repeating part 1 at 6PM Tuesday, and the HR20 program guide just lists the whole four hours as one big movie (and would NOT have recorded part 2 without manual intervention from me).

A quick word about ebay...many sellers (including myself) are currently boycotting ebay because of its recent fee increases, feedback rule changes, PayPal 21 day holds, and the way it's been treating sellers in general.

I've moved my DVD selling to Amazon for the time being (Note to mods, I've not posted a link so this is not self-promotion). Haven't figured out what I'm gonna do with the other types of stuff I'd been selling on ebay over the years. :( Open to suggestions where to go with my old LaserDiscs, PC parts, and comic books............

It was just a couple of months ago that ebay's fees really skyrocketed. In January, a DVD that sold for $10 would cost me about 73 cents in listing fee and final value fee (add PayPal fee to that, of course). Now it's about $1.17, a 40% increase.

But it's more the feedback changes that got me. Sellers can no longer leave negative or neutral feedback to buyers for any reason. Period. Not even if the "buyer" never pays. ebay's "Seller Central" forums are filled with horror stories about buyers now demanding lower prices/free shipping on items they won, and threatening sellers with negative feedback if they don't comply... and due to these new rules the sellers can't retaliate.

Anyway, I started boycotting May 1, because that's when the "official" seller boycott started.

BTW, the Andromeda Strain remake is pretty good. If y'all missed part 1 tonight, it'll be repeated tomorrow at 6PM, followed at 8PM by part 2.

Bit OT, but something we discuss here.
Some of you have probably seen the commercials. They're launching STL on June 10th.

$45/mo gives you unlimited everything, except roaming.
$60m/mo adds roaming
The have plans as low as $30/mo
All plans are unlimited, except roaming.
No contracts, No credit checks.

HERE (http://www.mycricket.com/) is their national site
HERE (http://mycricketstl.com/home.php?ILC=ILC-MKT-SAINTLOUIS&CP=SAINTLOUIS) is their STL site.

Do you know if their footprint even extends down into your part of the world? I see no maps.

Until the last couple of weeks, Samsung was about the only choice. Now I know that the new Samsung and the new Sony don't do 1080p computer resolutions properly. I'm probably better off just sticking with the Dell and living with a slightly vertically stretched display. It does scale cleanly.Isn't this something that could be addressed via Powerstrip?

Do you know if their footprint even extends down into your part of the world? I see no maps.
Along with the launch in STL on 6/10, coverage into the area will change prior.

Isn't this something that could be addressed via Powerstrip?

Not likely, I think. The card is outputting the correct resolution (which Powerstrip would address). It's the TV that isn't handling that signal properly.

Edit: On second thought, you might be right about Powerstrip. It has the ability to adjust timings for different displays. However, it was having some problems with the newer cards the last time I used it. It'd be worth a look, if I had the HDTV's on hand. I don't think Best Buy would let me do quite that much experimenting, though.

Computer geeks! I need your help!

I'm OTA-only but a UFC fan. Tired of having to go to sports bar to see the matches, I was happy to learn that Yahoo! has teamed with the UFC and you can watch the fights online, Live. Cool for me. Unfortunately I didn't find out until the last minute. I rushed out and bought VGA cable to go from laptop to my Samsung TV (that has a VGA PC input). No picture! I tried to changing to resolution, no avail. I'm not savvy at this stuff at all! I tried to find some kind of settings for an external monitor, but couldn't. I'd liked to figure this out by the next fight. Not for sure what I am doing wrong. I'm a wiz at home electronics, but totally suck with computers...

While the PC is still connected to a monitor, change the video display adapter (not just the resolution) in Control Panel to "standard VGA." Then shut down, connect to TV, restart.

Hopefully the TV will show you a crappy 640x480 picture. Go back to your video display settings in Control Panel. Now select your video card and pick the display resolution that matches the native resolution of the TV.

That *should* work. Can't say for sure that it *will* because I have a CRT HDTV getting its signal from my HTPC via component cables.

You know what's funny? Right now the top banner ad on KMOV.com is for Charter HD. You know what channel you can't watch in HD on Charter? KMOV.

Can someone with GrabIt (or similar software) get a screen capture of that?

Along with the launch in STL on 6/10, coverage into the area will change prior.

Looking at their national coverage maps it seems you're only in luck within large metropolitan areas. Travel outside and you're SOL. As many dead spots as the national carriers have, I can imagine how many Cricket must have inside those metro areas.

You know what's funny? Right now the top banner ad on KMOV.com is for Charter HD. You know what channel you can't watch in HD on Charter? KMOV.

Can someone with GrabIt (or similar software) get a screen capture of that?
You can just hit printscreen on a PC and paste into paint or apple+shift 3 on a mac.

You can just hit printscreen on a PC and paste into paint or apple+shift 3 on a mac.

I just want the banner and not the whole page. Plus I'm running dual monitor and don't want both screens.

Here it is.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2528685247_22d0dec722_o.png

150 HD Choices: but not KMOV.

I just want the banner and not the whole page. Plus I'm running dual monitor and don't want both screens.


gotcha, I saw someone that wasn't super computer savvy, and I couldn't remember who it was.

Looking at their national coverage maps it seems you're only in luck within large metropolitan areas. Travel outside and you're SOL. As many dead spots as the national carriers have, I can imagine how many Cricket must have inside those metro areas.
Probably correct.
I hardly ever leave Farmington, though it's questionable if they'll reach down here...neither Sprint or Nextel do. AT&T's better since adding all the towers, but even they still have some holes down this way.
Just thought I'd throw it out there, in case it fits for some :)

I gotta say, lurking around here and observing you regulars' conversations is enlightening :)

I'm curious if anybody has an idea about my little conundrum:

I have a Zotac 8800GT with pass-thru SPDIF over HDMI (SPDIF output header on mobo connected to input header on video card) connected to my Samsung Ln-T4061

Standard 2 channel audio works fine but any time it switches to a dolby/dts track I lose audio. I can confirm the PC is still outputting the digital track though because the coax output on my mobo, which is connected to my receiver, still works in both 2 channel and 5.1 modes.

I assume my TV can accept 5.1 over HDMI since my Dish HD box sends Dolby Digital over the HDMI connection, right?

I gotta say, lurking around here and observing you regulars' conversations is enlightening :)

I'm curious if anybody has an idea about my little conundrum:

I have a Zotac 8800GT with pass-thru SPDIF over HDMI (SPDIF output header on mobo connected to input header on video card) connected to my Samsung Ln-T4061

Standard 2 channel audio works fine but any time it switches to a dolby/dts track I lose audio. I can confirm the PC is still outputting the digital track though because the coax output on my mobo, which is connected to my receiver, still works in both 2 channel and 5.1 modes.

I assume my TV can accept 5.1 over HDMI since my Dish HD box sends Dolby Digital over the HDMI connection, right?
If this is part of your question, and of any help....
I can't speak for the HTPC, I don't use one.
As for your DISH STB, yes, with the correct setting, it sends DD 5.1 over HDMI. If you're not certain your Sammy is getting it, just connect the STB directly to the Sammy, via the HDMI. I'm fairly certain the T4061 has the speakers to produced 5.1....Doug would probably know.

Computer geeks! I need your help!

I'm OTA-only but a UFC fan. Tired of having to go to sports bar to see the matches, I was happy to learn that Yahoo! has teamed with the UFC and you can watch the fights online, Live. Cool for me. Unfortunately I didn't find out until the last minute. I rushed out and bought VGA cable to go from laptop to my Samsung TV (that has a VGA PC input). No picture! I tried to changing to resolution, no avail. I'm not savvy at this stuff at all! I tried to find some kind of settings for an external monitor, but couldn't. I'd liked to figure this out by the next fight. Not for sure what I am doing wrong. I'm a wiz at home electronics, but totally suck with computers...

Most laptops have a key (Fn+F8 on Dell) that rotates display mode from laptop display only to laptop + external display to external display only each time you hit the key. An alternate approach is to go to the display manager for the graphics chip installed in your laptop with your secondary display connected to your laptop and turned on (making sure you select the computer input) and go through the setup wizard that should be available. That should automatically detect your display.

Been a little slow around here lately. So, Boy that KSDK sure sucks don't they???? :p

Does anyone have any inside info on how fast Uverse is spreading. I've been waiting to get my mother in law on it near Ballwin for quite some time. She's at Big Bend and Hanna if that helps.
thanks
Dug

Wow! I guess the next thing is for companies to pay YOU to take the ATI 2600XT video card off their hands. Here's (http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?loc=2009&sku=205073855) an offer from Buy.com that will get you the card for as little as $15, if you use Google checkout. It was just a few months ago that this card was on the shelves at Best buy for $229.

One of the reasons I wouldn't consider switching from E* to D* is that E* receivers (some of them, anyway) can be modified (legally) by a company called Nextcom to record broadcasts. The R5000 mod allows me to record anything from Dish. Playback of the MPEG4 channels can be tricky and provides me with a few audio headaches from time to time, but it works. It now also works (http://www.nextcomwireless.com/R5000/mce.htm) with Media Center Edition on Windows.

If this is part of your question, and of any help....
I can't speak for the HTPC, I don't use one.
As for your DISH STB, yes, with the correct setting, it sends DD 5.1 over HDMI. If you're not certain your Sammy is getting it, just connect the STB directly to the Sammy, via the HDMI. I'm fairly certain the T4061 has the speakers to produced 5.1....Doug would probably know.
That's the way it's currently set up. HDMI from STB to TV. I get audio, and I'm sure it's sending 5.1 because the STB also sends optical to the receiver, which gets 5.1.

So anyway, I'm at least 95% confident my TV has the ability to decode 5.1 over HDMI, now I just need to determine why the 5.1 isn't being sent over my SPDIF header thru my video card. Now that I think about it, I'm guessing the issue is on my PC's end, rather than the TV's end, like I was first suspecting.

So anyway, I'm at least 95% confident my TV has the ability to decode 5.1 over HDMI, now I just need to determine why the 5.1 isn't being sent over my SPDIF header thru my video card. Now that I think about it, I'm guessing the issue is on my PC's end, rather than the TV's end, like I was first suspecting.Not sure which TV you have, but unless it has a built-in surround sound speaker system, it probably doesn't have or need the ability to directly deliver 5.1 audio.

On the other hand, it should be able to take in any HDMI feed you have and send the video to the display, while extracting and downmixing 5.1 to 2.0 for the internal speakers. Your TV should also have a digital audio passthrough that will allow you to take the audio portion of the feed and send it onto a an external audio processor. This would ideally be via an HDMI output (necessary to preserve newer surround audio formats) but it might also be via coaxial or optical, in which case I think you are limited to the pre-BD/HD DVD versions of Dolby and DTS surround formats.

Not sure this is what you're looking for, but hope it's helpful.

Something missing?

It looks like FOX has finally given in to public pressure.
At least where FoxSportsNet is concerned, have you noticed FOX has all but eliminated those nasty annoying pop-up advertising bugs during programming?

Those ones with Howie Long throwing a football into Jimmy Johnson's face, or a NASCAR rattling across the bottom of your screen in a barrage of smoke.

I, for one, hope they're gone for good.

Something missing?

It looks like FOX has finally given in to public pressure.
At least where FoxSportsNet is concerned, have you noticed FOX has all but eliminated those nasty annoying pop-up advertising bugs during programming?

Those ones with Howie Long throwing a football into Jimmy Johnson's face, or a NASCAR rattling across the bottom of your screen in a barrage of smoke.

I, for one, hope they're gone for good.I haven't noticed and wouldn't assume it's the end of the line. But it's definitely worth hoping for.

Also, NBC seems to be more than somewhat bipolar on this stuff. At one time, kSDk sported as many as three onscreen logos, but it appears, based on what I've seen in traveling around to other markets, that NBC has cracked the whip on its affiliates and eliminated all but the network logo. Unfortunately that network logo is increasingly used as an onscreen text-ad promo for upcoming NBC programming. This not only clutters up the screen but also looks really tacky ("American Gladiators Season Premiere May 29, 8 ET").

Has anyone noticed that at the beginning of games in HD that the sound is really distorted? Last night it wasn't as bad and didn't go on as long as it has. Eventually it goes away, but during the pre-game show it's awful and lasts to the first inning most games. It's very annoying and I suspect it has to do with getting a live feed up.

I have D*btw.

Edit: I'm referring to the Cards games.

Is this working?

No posts in almost 48 hours....

Tim

Is this working?

No posts in almost 48 hours....

Tim

Maybe we all finally got a life? :D

Somehow I doubt that!

Maybe we all finally got a life? :D
I had one of those...once
Then, I got married
Then, we had kids

Shot that idea all to hell!

Anyone remember Jered? Poor guy!

......Anyone remember Jered? Poor guy!

Who???